Eyes of Symmetry
by Dodden
Summary: Two years in personal, yet voluntary exile to obtain himself a profession, Eric Forman returns home a drastically changed man. Jackie can't help but be intrigued, and soon finds herself drawn to the man who would confide in her the secret of his misery.JE
1. Chapter 1

**You have stumbled upon a forbidden ship. It was never explored on the show, which is probably best since yo-yoing characters isn't a good idea on any TV show, but I felt like trying something different. There are numerous continuity issues here (nothing earth shattering), mainly in part with the fact that I stopped watching the show in the middle of season eight. There could be the odd hint to the later episodes, but they're few and far between. Please enjoy, for there is already twenty more chapters written and ready to be posted if you so wish to read them. This takes place two years after Eric left, so some things have changed, but don't worry, all will be thoroughly explained.**

**I tend to ramble, so to understand a little more you can visit my profile page if you so wish.  
**

Chapter 1

The heated night caused his pours to open, sweat dripping from his forehead as he stepped onto one of the many sidewalks of Green Bay. It was unseasonably warm for May, but in his mind it was of no consequence. Truth was, he had become accustomed to the heat and had come to prefer it rather than the cold of home. It was somewhat depressing that he wasn't blasted with the familiar fresh midnight air of Wisconsin in late spring, but he knew the weather tended to fluctuate rapidly after warm nights. Knowing that such heat in the middle of the night signaled the likelihood of a gathering storm, he did up the zipper on his coat and extended a hand to hail a cab.

There was no plan to his return, not even a mention of it in his letters to home. Having been gone for almost two years, Eric Forman, the once scrawny and meek doormat from Point Place, was now a man. It brought a smile to his lips to think that at one time he had been everything his father said he was, but there would be no dissatisfaction from his father, for he knew Red would be proud of him. Much like his father, he had left the country armed with nothing but his clothes on his back and a confidence that bordered on the pathetic. His father had gone to war, but in his mind he had faced a similar foe in Africa. The living conditions were deplorable, inevitably hardening him to the surroundings and allowing him to open his eyes to what was going on around him. His life had forever been changed, yet there was still a part of him that nothing could rob him of. Home.

As a yellow cab began to slow down and park along the sidewalk of the airport, the brakes squealing loudly, he reached down and picked up the luggage. Two years ago he would have had trouble with the weight of such a ridiculously large piece of storage, but his newfound matured body was stronger than it ever had been. It could be said that he had matured later than others, but in his mind it was the experience of life that had toughened him.

Setting the luggage into the trunk and closing the top soundly, he slipped around and into the backseat. As he instructed the cabbie to his destination, he couldn't help but grin. Things had worked out better than he could have expected. Sure, he had lost Donna, but in the back of his mind, on the day he had left for Africa, he knew that it was a possibility that he'd have to accept. He didn't resent her for voicing her frustration on the phone some many months ago; in fact he had welcomed it with a heavy sigh of relief. A long distance relationship was taxing, not only on his heart, but on his mind too. The mutual separation had been beneficial to both of them in the end, and he was a little happy to hear that Donna had actually found another to make her happy.

A year ago he would have been furious and jealous that Donna had found another man, but with his newfound outlook on the condition known as life, it all seemed trivial in the broad spectrum. The selfishness and antagonizing pain of his teen years seemed like a distant memory, memories that he knew were better left forgotten in the recesses of his mind. There would be a time and place to one day sit back and reflect on everything that had happened and would yet to happen, but for the moment he was caught up with the idea of home.

As the car began to steadily pick up speed, its destination the suburb of Point Place, Eric checked his watch. It was a quarter past midnight, the moon having disappeared behind the dark clouds of the impending storm. Through the front window of the cab he could see the lights of the city streets illuminating the way, pointing him to a destination that always brought a smile to his face. His mother would be more than happy to see him, and even though he knew his father would scowl and mutter something inane and disrespectful, he also knew it was Red's way of saying he was proud of him.

A lot of things had changed, much for the better and much for the worst it seemed. From the letters he received, to the monthly phone call home, he had learned that not everything had stayed the same. Hyde was no longer a burnt out teenager with a penchant for smoking a nefarious and illegal drug, although it wouldn't surprise Eric if his best friend had a stash somewhere just in case of an emergency. He was also married, which surprised him, but he couldn't judge his best friend without meeting his wife. Kelso had also matured, although, according to Fez, the one time babe hound had still found a way to act immature. Thinking about Kelso in any other way than running around and chasing stray dogs seemed foreign, but he also knew that his friend had taken on the responsibility of his daughter and Brooke.

The oft time bumbling idiot had taken his share of bruises and ill advised paths, but Eric knew for a fact that when things came to a head and hard choices had to be made, Kelso would always do the right thing. Learning that the knucklehead was now in fact engaged to the one time librarian and Point Place High graduate was surprisingly invigorating. Happiness comes in all forms, he thought to himself as the lights sped by at an alarming rate. A few seconds later the rain began to fall, signaling the end to the heat and bathing the city in a cool and refreshing mist. As the distance between home and the cab continued to evaporate, he looked out the window and entwined his fingers in-between his legs.

The draw of home had been too much to endure, and even though he knew he could stay away longer, he had felt it was the right time to return. His leaving for Africa was more about finding himself than it was about earning experience among the teaching profession, but he was glad to have found a calling to herald as his own. Now that he was home he knew that he'd have to find a job, but with the population always on the rise, the need for teachers would be increasing alongside. Reaching into his coat pocket, he retrieved a folded piece of paper and unfolded it slowly. He read it over once again for good measure, this specific letter the final straw to stamp his decision to move home. Well, not really.

The letter explained much of what had happened in the past months and he felt as if he had been losing touch with those he had known so well. Fez was touring around the country as a backup dancer with a well known band, but he couldn't remember the name. It was the eighties, but to him it had been as if time had stopped, the new decade seemingly the same as the last. Maybe it was the slow progression of Africa, or his ignorance to the outside world that he had accidentally developed, but he couldn't help but begin to feel unprepared. He had spent two years without a television, a newspaper, and even proper toilet paper. Now he was starting over again, but at least it was at home with people who cared about him.

Things would be different, he knew that, but somewhere inside him he also knew that not everything changed. According to the letter that he held in his hand, Jackie was still as shallow and as mean as ever. Her dream of being a weather reporter for the local news had come true, giving her a confidence that his mother could only describe as overly abrasive. The over ambitious little spitfire was never someone he would have thought he'd miss, but she was one of the group, even though he tried not to admit it. In all, he missed everyone too much to be apart from them any longer.

The rain began to fall in droves, soaking his hair and dampening his jacket as he stepped out of the stopped cab. Leaving the door open, he turned and leaned his arms on the wet roof of the vehicle. There it was; the small dwelling where he had spent most his life, where all his memories were, whether good or bad. He handed over the exact cash to the driver and went around to the trunk. A second later he was moving towards the back of the house, the sound of the car disappearing into the distance as it was droned out by the steadily falling rain. Stepping under the small protection of the tiny porch, he reached into his pocket and withdrew his key. The light by the sliding door was off, but the alley lamps were enough for him to accurately put the key into the lock. With a quick flick of his wrist the lock snapped over and he opened the door a little.

Shaking his head at how his father never took the time to change the locks, his old stubborn ways no more evident, Eric slid the door open all the way, revealing a dark room with almost no complexion to it. Sliding his hand over in the dark, he found the light switch and flipped it up. The kitchen quickly lit up, causing him to squint suddenly and let his eyes adjust. Once they did, he kicked out of his shoes and set his luggage by the table. He closed the door behind him and locked it. Nothing had changed he realized, the disco style wallpaper and cheese grater lights still present. In his socks, he slipped his coat off and hung it on the hook. The oven and the fridge hadn't changed either, both the same size and color as when he had left.

Realizing that he was still smiling, he went to the fridge and opened it. Once again he was shocked to realize that nothing inside the thing had changed either. The contents were still the same, but the eggs now white instead of brown. He remembered what his father used to say about white eggs and how brown were better, and Eric couldn't help but laugh a little as he thought of how his mother had convinced Red that white were just as good as brown. Looking specifically for something to drink, he reached into he back and found a can of beer. In the hot atmosphere of Africa he had acquired a shrewd taste for alcohol. The local beer had been quite bitter and warm, but each brew had its own original taste that he enjoyed. He knew his father would have something to say, but Red's anger seemed more bearable now that he was certain his father's anger was just his way of expressing his true feelings.

Not standing around to dwell on the complexity known as his father, he opened the can and took a sip. Sighing in appreciation, he walked over to the table and took a seat on the cushioned chair closest to the back wall. With the beer nestled in both his hands, he looked around at the room and said, "It's good to be home."

He was only halfway through the can when the sliding door opened up and the sound of rain hitting pavement filled his ears. Deciding to be quiet, thinking it might be best not to wake everyone, he watched as a woman with long blonde hair and a lithe body closed an umbrella. It wasn't Laurie, for he knew his sister was somewhere in New York City, modeling for some agency he had never heard of. No, the woman before him was tall, maybe even as tall as Donna, but slender, and wore only a pair of pink hot pants and a tight yellow tank tee. As the woman continued to present her back to him, he took a calm drink and waited for her to turn around. Instead of facing him, she seemed not to notice his presence and walked into the kitchen after slipping off her sandals. "Who are you?" he asked, catching her attention.

The woman spun around, a small croak escaping her throat as her eyes bulged out in surprise. She seemed not to register who he was, so he simply asked her again. "Who are you?" When the woman began to scrutinize him, as if she was trying to place his face, he took another drink and stared back. In the light, she was even more beautiful than he could have guessed, her face doing justice to the body he had seen only a second ago.

"I'm Sam."

"Ah, Hyde's wife," he exclaimed as if relieved.

"And you are?" she asked as he took another drink.

"Eric," he replied, not taking his eye of her for a second. First impressions were never really his forte, but over the past few years he had learned not to let what others thought about him affect his own emotions. He now understood what his father meant when he claimed everyone was a dumb-ass.

"Red and Kitty's son?"

He frowned slightly at her question. He knew Hyde had good taste in women, but this one seemed a little light headed for even his own taste. The question seemed somewhat rhetorical, but it unnerved him none the less. Who the hell else would he be?

When he nodded, she relaxed a little and slung her purse over her shoulder. "I've seen pictures of you around here, but I can't say that any of them really resemble you."

Eric nodded and finished his beer. "Two years in Africa tends to have that affect on people." His voice was complacent and unwavering. In the past he would have been nervous around such a stunningly beautiful woman, but he had spoken the truth. He had changed. "So," he said as her rocked the empty tin can back and forth on the table, his eyes never leaving her, "does Hyde know you're out this late?" It was a Thursday night after all.

Frowning, her face becoming a mere image of the man's in font of her, she said, "Did Hyde never tell you what I do?"

Shaking his head, his eyebrows furrowing even deeper, he realized that his best friend had never said anything about what his wife did. "No, he never told me."

"Well," she began, dropping her purse on the counter, "I strip downtown." The man's eyebrows rose slightly at her statement, but instead of the usual open mouthed amazement that she received from her husband's other friends, Eric seemed almost stoic. "You know, Kelso had a lot to say when Hyde told him I was a stripper."

"I'm sure he did," Eric replied with a nod. He got up a second later and walked past her.

"Are you not in the least bit curious or excited? Fez was fascinated just about as much as Kelso was."

Eric shrugged and dropped the beer can in the trash. "When you've seen the things I have, and watched people die for no particular reason at all, it humbles you. I guess that what I used find shocking isn't as important anymore."

Sam watched him intently. Unlike Kelso, Fez, and even Hyde, the Forman's son was calm and collective around her. Often times she had been ogled by men, and even though she had caught Eric staring at her, the familiar anger that accompanied those glances never emerged. He seemed to scrutinize her, stare into her soul and judge her. It was unsettling to say the least, and it was the last thing she had expected. Hyde had always said that Forman was a goof, an unsure sack of grain with a brain. Her husband was certainly in for a surprise when he would be reunited with his old friend.

"Does anyone else know you're here?" she asked.

Shaking his head, Eric said, "No, and truth is I'm tired as hell and I think the reunion could best be held off until tomorrow."

"Well, I know for a fact that your mother hasn't changed a thing in your room." When he smiled slightly, she swore she could see the boy he once might have been.

"I guess I'll see you in the morning then," Eric stated as he went for the swinging door to the living room.

Sam continued to frown as she watched Eric disappear through the door, only to see him slowly go up the stairs as the door swung back to reveal the living room. One day she knew she'd meet Eric Forman, and from what she had heard from his friends, his mother, and even his father, she had expected something entirely different.

Being a sociable person, she often got along with everyone and could read them instantly. She had known from the first instant that she met Kelso and Fez that they were both immature men who were still caught up in high school. Donna was smart and thoughtful, never one to offend another, and Jackie was abrasive and loud. But Eric, something about the young man made her shiver. There was an edge to him, yet when he smiled he looked as if he couldn't hurt a fly.

A dancer by trade, it allowed her to scrutinize the patrons that ogled her on stage. There were two types. Most men stared upon her with open lust, their eyes following her every movement, while others would stare with a hunger that often scared her. Those were the nights when she'd call Steven and ask him to pick her up from work. It wasn't often she did so, for those men were few and far between. But in-between those two types was Eric. She could tell he had been a little fascinated by her clothing and body, but somewhere in his eyes laid a somber thoughtfulness that she could only describe as pity.

A mysterious man was always an interesting one, but from Eric's tone of voice and hard eyes, she knew that she likely wouldn't want to find out what lay behind. From the family photos of Eric, his sister and his parents, there looked to be a warmth about him. But after just meeting him, she couldn't help but shake the feeling that she had just spoken to a drastically changed man. Relenting to speaking to Hyde about it in the morning, she picked up her purse and headed downstairs, knowing that sleep would be hard to come by as she could still feel his icy gaze upon her.

Eric slipped past his parent's door and opened his own. Too tired to turn on the light to look around, he let the street lights guide him to his bed. Within seconds he had his clothes in a heap on the floor and was crawling under familiar blankets. It was good to be home, but he couldn't shake the feeling that others might not recognize their once boyish friend. He knew he had changed, and even if Hyde's wife had never met him before, he could tell she was scared of him. If anyone said to him he was his father's son, he'd be inclined to believe them, but never did he think the day would come that he found himself so alike to the man who had treated him like an old shoe his whole life. Deep down he hated it, but he also knew he'd have to live with it, for it was who he was. His father would accept it, but he hoped the others would too.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

He awoke to the sound of a body lumbering down the stairway. Groaning, he lifted his head and turned it to the side to get a clear look at the alarm clock on his headboard. It was seven-thirty, and he let out another groan. The time change from Johannesburg to home had been hard on his internal clock, but he knew it would eventually pass. Plus, he could put up with being a little tired if it meant he could get a head start on visiting his old friends.

Deftly rolling out of bed and finding his clothes on the floor, he slipped them on. He quickly tucked his plaid dress shirt into his pants and fastened his belt snugly. As he hastily began to wipe the creases out of his blue jeans, he noticed the horrible pale spot where his watch usually was. Spending time on another country where the sun shone almost all year round had tanned him, leaving a strangely familiar spot on his wrist. He was never very self conscious of his appearance, but with shorter hair and a more dignified look about himself, he thought it appeared strange. He grabbed his watch and put it on, fastening it up loosely and slipping the leather through the loop.

When he was dressed appropriately, he exited the bedroom and went to the bathroom, locking the door behind him as he went. A minute later he exited and bounded down the stairs, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had always thought he'd be nervous about moving back home, but instead he was calm and collective. As he reached the bottom of the steps, he could hear his mother singing softly as the smell of pancakes wafted into the living room.

"Whose luggage is this?" he heard his father say with a gruff tone.

Not lingering out in the living room, Eric swung the door open and said, "Mine." It took a second, but his mother turned in shock and quickly wrapped him in her arms, hugging him tighter than he would have ever thought possible.

"Eric, Eric, sweetie, you're home!"

"I know," he replied as he finally disengaged from his mothers grip. She quickly held him out at arms length and looked him up and down.

"You've changed," she said with a sad smile.

He grinned and went to the fridge. "I couldn't stay a boy forever." He brought out the orange juice and set it on the counter. When he turned around he was standing only a foot apart from his dad, who looked as if he was about to call him a dumb-ass.

"What time did you get home?" Red asked, slowly reaching out and shaking his son's hand. They had never been close in that regard, but Eric was still his son and in his own way he loved the young man.

"Around midnight I think," Eric answered as grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured it full. Knowing what the next question would be, he said, "It was late and I knew you'd both have been in bed for a few hours, and I was tired, so I just went to bed."

Kitty hugged him again with all she had, a tear escaping her right eye as she said, "You should have woken us, but I'll forgive you." Before he could say something, she quickly jumped into her smothering mode and went to the element on the oven. "I'll cook up some pancakes for you, sweetie."

"Thanks." Eric took the glass and jug to the table and sat down in his regular seat, his father following likewise and sitting across from him.

"What brought you home?" Red asked as he took a sip from his coffee mug.

Shrugging slightly, Eric said, "Well, there wasn't really one thing that made up my mind. First off I was starting to miss home, and secondly it seemed as if everything was changing and that I needed to be here to experience it. I had begun to forget about my friends, plus, I finished my program.

"You could have called or written us," Kitty said as she flipped a pancake on the stove.

"I know, but the truth was that I didn't feel like a welcoming home party." He grinned at his father, who nodded his understanding. His mother was always one to get over excited and use any opportunity to bake a ton of food.

"But it would have been a nice party, sweetie; we could have invited all your friends and had a cake."

Eric shook his head again and took another drink from his glass, the whole while his father had begun to squint at him.

Red peered at his son for a minute, trying to discern the obvious change that had transformed the once weak young man into a strapping individual he could proud of. Truthfully, he had always been proud of his son, but as he stared at his son's muscular arms and wider shoulders, he was impressed. "It seems Africa has taught you a lot," he said.

Nodding, Eric set his glass down and said, "Many things, but it's changed me."

"How so?" inquired Red.

He tried to find the right words to best articulate what he meant, but he eventually resigned to speaking plainly. "I'm harder. Some of the things I've witnessed over there will haunt me for years, yet they seemed like a necessary learning experience. I've learned that even though I'm an adult, my learning will never end."

Red continued to stare at his son, finding a confidence about the young man. "It can't be any worse than war. At your age I was drafted and shipped out to a country I had never heard of."

"I know," Eric replied somberly, "and I understand that, but what I've seen is a different kind of war. Instead of fighting and killing, what I saw was a struggle to live, children not able to eat and many dying from malnourishment. I understand the need for basic necessities and living conditions, but what I really learned was that no matter how selfish I may become, there are people out there who have worse." When his father said nothing, his mother beginning to sing softly behind him, he relaxed and welcomed the smell of syrup into his nostrils.

"So you've seen men die?" Red asked, forking some eggs into his mouth.

"Men, children and women," he replied, his eyes losing focus and going lost for a moment. "Watching a man die is one thing, but watching a child slowly starve to death is another."

Red nodded yet again, beginning to understand what his son had gone through. He would never admit it, but some times he would regret what he did in defense of his country. There was a pride in serving, but there was still a part of him that could remember the smell of burning flesh and ammunition. "Killing men who intend on killing you is one thing, but watching someone die and knowing that you are unable to help is another. I can't remember the number of times I watched young men under my command die. It's never easy."

Eric was a little surprised that his father was being so forthright about his time in the army. Red was never one to embellish his tales or speak grandly of his time in the service. Most of what he knew about his fathers time in the military had been rather to the point and very boisterous, but there was another side to it that his father was sharing with him now. He knew why of course, his father could tell that he wasn't the same person who had left two years ago. He wasn't a disappointment anymore, and in all truth it was his father's approval that he wanted the most. And even though he would never get such direct words, he knew that this was Red's way of telling him he understood.

Kitty came over and dropped a pancake on Eric's plate. "Thanks mom," he said with a grin, digging into the pancake with a fork.

"I've missed being called mom," Kitty said with a tear almost escaping her left eye.

"Now, Kitty," Red warned, "don't go spoiling and smothering him. He's a man now." He watched as his son's eyebrows lifted slightly, but there was no look of shock. In a lot of respects he now saw a lot of himself in his son, and in all honesty he was glad. He had treated Eric hard as a child, one day hoping that his stern lectures and constant threats would help mould him into a man. It had worked it seemed.

"I'm his mother and I'm allowed to smother him." Kitty went back to he stove and put more batter into the frying pan. There was a bounce in her step, one she had lost the same time Eric had left.

Red noticed it and leaned in, motioning for Eric to do the same. With a hushed voice, he said, "I'm glad you're home. Your mother hasn't been the same without you around, and with Laurie off gods no where, there's been an emptiness she's been trying to fill."

Eric almost coughed his food out, but he understood what his father meant. He had been homesick himself for two years, but he couldn't imagine how it made his mother feel. His father could handle it without a problem, but that's because he was Red and nothing got to him. But his mother was different. It wasn't surprising that she missed him more than anything. He was her only son after all. Leaning back in his seat again, he and his father spoke briefly about the things he had done and experienced. They were direct questions, ones he answered in the same manner without hesitation.

"Did you get our last letter?" his mother asked as she fixed her own plate of eggs, toast and bacon, and sat down between her son and Red.

"I did," Eric replied. "I must be honest; I didn't think Kelso would ever get married."

"Everyone changes," Red said as he finished his mug.

Eric nodded and finished his pancake, a little syrup dribbling onto his chin. Wiping it away with a napkin he said, "I guess so. Last night I even met Hyde's wife. I was certainly surprised when she told me what she did for a living."

Kitty said, "I don't know why a woman would strip naked and show her glory to strange men. Back in my day, if we wanted an exciting job, we'd milk cows on the outskirts of town." Her comment brought about a laugh from her son, and she smiled warmly. She had missed him dearly.

"I don't approve of her choice of employment," Red said suddenly, "but Steven seems able to put up with it."

"They're living under your roof," Eric noted as he took another large gulp from his glass. "You could kick them out."

Red snorted and dropped his fork on his plate loudly. "Trust me, son. If I could I would. Your mother had last say when it came to that. You know that once you live in my house and you marry, you find your own place to live."

"Oh, Red," Kitty chortled, "Steven and Sam are just starting out. He has a good job and I'm sure it will only be a matter months and they'll be out on their own."

Eric could swear there was an underlying tone to his mother's words. It seemed as if she had kept Hyde and his wife in the house to keep it from getting lonely, but now that he was home she could fret over him and not them. He never really knew how much his leaving had affected his mom. "What of Fez and Donna, what are they up to?" he asked.

Red thought for a second, trying to remember what Bob had told him a week ago. "Ah, Donna is a producer at the local news station. Both she and Jackie work together, one on screen and the other behind. As for Ali-Bobwa, I have no clue where he is."

"He's somewhere in California," Kitty said with a somewhat irritated tone. She had never been happy that her husband called Fez by anything other than his real name.

Finishing his glass, Eric set it down and said, "The letter said something about Fez being a backup dancer for some band, but I was skeptical."

"Really?" Kitty asked.

Eric nodded. "I never thought he would have the confidence to leave everyone behind. We were all he had, yet he's seemingly cut the apron strings from the rest of the group."

"Oh that reminds me," Kitty said suddenly, excitedly, "Michael and Brooke are coming by with Betsy tonight." She half giggled and closed her eyes in her classic fashion as she clapped a little. "You have to see Betsy, Eric. She's grown so much."

Watching his mother unwind her energy and exuberance, he quickly glanced over to his father, who was smiling just a little. As the more he watched his parents the more he began to understand what the last two years had been like without him. They had been stressful and different. The simple relieved expression on his father's face told him so.

It wasn't a second later when he heard Hyde's familiar voice from the living room.

"Forman!" he yelled.

Eric got up of his seat and made his way to the living room, seeing his friend standing at the bottom of the stairs and yelling up to the top floor.

"Forman!" he yelled again.

"Right here," Eric said with a big grin. His friend caught sight of him and removed his glasses, not something the young man did often.

"Is that you Forman?" Hyde asked as Eric moved towards him.

"It's me," Eric replied as he quickly embraced his longtime best friend.

"I almost didn't recognize you. Sam said she saw you last night when she got home from work. She said something about you looking different, but she's never seen you before and I had no clue what she meant. But now I do." He quickly let go of Eric and punched him in the shoulder. "It's good to see you man."

Eric laughed and slugged Hyde back. His friend's eyes went wide and his mouth opened slightly.

"I see that you've gained a little muscle, Forman." His tone was only slightly condescending.

"A little?" Eric answered with raised eyebrows. He inspected his own muscled forearms and said. "I like to think that I have the means to defend myself and not have to rely on my friends to back me up."

Hyde laughed and rubbed his shoulder. "By your punch I'm sure there's no need for us to do that anymore." When Eric grinned back, he threw his arm around his once scrawny friend's now larger shoulders and guided him towards the kitchen. "How was Africa?" he asked, slipping his sunglasses back on.

-

Eric had spent the early morning regaling his parents and Hyde about his experience in Africa, leaving out what he had told his father earlier. There were some things that stayed between father and son, and this was one of those. After he had finished, Steven having gone to work, his Father leaving for Price-Mart a minute later, he had asked his mother why Red had gone back to Price-Mart. She had said that since retirement he had gotten bored, and working in the automotive department at the large store helped keep the boredom to a minimum. He worked only three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Eric understood. His father had worked his whole life and he understood that men like Red needed to work to prolong their life. And with his father's heart problems, he knew it was for the best. His mother knew that to.

As the morning went by, he unpacked his luggage, realizing that absolutely nothing had changed in his bedroom since he had left. After finishing, he went over to the Pinciotti's to see if Donna was home. Even if they weren't together anymore, he still missed her like all the rest. Knocking on the back door, he received a holler and instantly cringed. It was Bob.

The door opened up suddenly and a fuzzy haired large man exclaimed, "Eric!"

"Hello Mr. Pinciotti," Eric replied with a sheepish grin.

"You're back!"

"Yep."

"When?"

"Last night."

Bob nodded and said, "I guess you're here to see Donna?" his jaw tightened a little when the young man nodded. "She's at the news studio. She does the morning and lunch newscasts with Jackie."

"Oh," Eric released with a sigh. "Maybe I'll drop by and see them in action."

Bob, always mindful of her daughter's well being, said, "Eric, it's good to see you, but I hope you know that my daughter has found another man to make her happy."

"I know," he replied without hesitation. "I didn't come home for her. I came home for me. What Donna and I had was something I'll always treasure, but I hold no false hope that she would take me back, especially after finding someone else."

"Good," Bob replied, grinning like usual.

"Plus," Eric added, "Things change."

"They always do."

"Well, I better be off. Drop by tonight, I'm sure my mother will have thrown together a little party for my return."

Bob laughed and said, "There's no doubt in my mind."

Eric nodded. "See you later Mr. Pinciotti."

"Bye Eric," he replied, watching the young man disappear from his backyard. He couldn't help but notice, as he now stood staring at the closed door, that Eric had changed. His daughter was no doubt in for a surprise.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sort of curious, do you(the distinguished readers) prefer insinuated sex, or graphic sex scenes when reading? Need to know what I'm dealing with here, because this goes to R-rated at some point and I'm wondering how many might be upset if I go NC-17.**

Chapter 3

He entered the studio through the back entrance, his sleeves still rolled up and his hands in his pockets. The morning was relatively cool compared to the night before, the sun being hidden by overcast clouds and the odd sprinkle or two. Checking his watch, the news about to wrap up, he entered the main room and slunk into a dark corner. The rest of the room was lit up like he expected, Jackie standing up in the corner by a weather screen while Donna stood beside a camera with a headset on. Jackie looked as youthful as ever, and he assumed it was because of the makeup. He could only see Donna from behind. Her hair was once again red, straight, long and silky. He wondered absently how in the world Jackie could tolerate the heat of the lights that were on her. Making a point to ask her about it later, he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Jackie finished up her last line with perfection and the lights went off, the cameras focusing back onto the news anchor. Sighing in relief at not messing up, she waited for Mark to wrap up the news so that she could get out of her confounded chair. Just as the anchor's last words had been spoken, the studio lights being dimmed, she saw something in the back corner that caused her to almost jump out of her chair. Only the fact that they were still live kept her in her seat. Focusing more acutely, she recognized the man in the corner. He was bigger than she could remember, stronger, and by the look in his eyes, harder. It was Eric, but not the one she had known before. He was leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed, his sleeves rolled up and his eyes on one particular woman. She could always remember the way he gazed upon Donna, with both love and admiration, but now there was a vacancy in his eyes that gave him a very hard edge.

It wasn't a second later his eyes traveled to her. Jackie's breath caught in her throat as she tried to keep his gaze. For a moment she could have sworn he looked exactly like Red, but when he grinned, she could once again see the young boy she remembered all too well. Eric was quite possibly the kindest person she had ever met, and even though she was arrogant and naïve most of the time, he had always endured it all with dignity and the odd joke. She had never told him about how good of a friend he was, mainly because she was scared that out of all the people in their group, Eric was really the only one she trusted, and yet spent the least time with.

"Jackie?" Donna asked, taking the headset off her ears and letting it rest on her neck. "Jackie," she asked again when her friend didn't respond. It took her a second to notice, but the young woman's eyes and attention were somewhere else. Following the brunette's line of sight, she saw a man standing in the corner. Because of the odd lighting of the studio, his head was hidden, but the rest of his body was in the light. Two strong arms were crossed, sleeves rolled up and a pair of tight jeans visible.

He watched as Donna stared right at him, yet was unable to make out his face. Stepping forward with a grin, her eyes going wider than golf balls, Eric quickly wrapped her in a hug and said. "It's good to see you again, Donna."

"You too, Eric," she responded with a thick voice, her throat tightening up as a million things ran through her mind. Was he here for her, or was he simply back home? The first one had her troubled beyond belief and it took a few seconds before she disengaged herself from him.

They continued to look at one another, unable to say anything, but were saved when Jackie came over.

"Eric, you're back?" she asked. When he nodded, she came to stop and looked at him up close. She was right; the change was even more noticeable up close. His shoulders were broader than even Michael's, his forearms even larger than she had thought. Noticing the look of concern on Donna's face, she quickly asked, "Why are you back? Are you back for good?"

"Yes, I'm back for good. And to answer your other question, I came back because I missed my friends and family."

Jackie couldn't help but notice that when he had said friends he had been looking at Donna, and when he said family he was gazing at both of them.

"But why now?" Donna asked as she pushed the lump in her throat down. It was inconvenient that he was back now, especially when it came at a point where she and Randy were becoming very serious. Now that Eric was back, those thoughts she had figured had been locked away forever were now back.

Eric could tell Donna was struggling with something and he knew exactly what it was. He decided to get it out in the open before it began to fester. "I didn't come here to rekindle anything." He could have sworn she looked sunken for a moment, but he pressed on. "I hold no hopes or expectations about what was between us. You're still my next door neighbor and a very good friend, and the last thing I want to happen is to lose your friendship because of what happened in the past."

Donna struggled with what he said. On one hand she was happier than ever that he was back, but on the other hand she was happy with Randy and knew Eric's presence would only cloud things. "I'll always be your friend, Eric," she said suddenly to break the silence. "I have a boyfriend anyways, so even if you want me back you'd be up river without a paddle."

Knowing that she was hiding her real emotions, he laughed at her poor attempt at a joke. Unlike Donna, who seemed conflicted and troubled at the moment, his heart was beating steadily and his mind made up. He didn't love her anymore, it was that simple. To those who hadn't gone through what he had went through, maybe confusion would be a plausible reaction, but there was no grey area with him anymore. Things were black and white.

It was a reunion Donna had been looking forward to, but his unexpected presence was a hefty shock to her system. Out of the corner of her eye she quickly caught glimpse of Randy. Saying to Eric and Jackie, "Randy's here, I'll be back in a second," she cut away from them and went to her boyfriend.

Eric watched Donna walk away and hugged a tall man with long hair by the door. Randy looked much like had pictured, tall, white, long hair and a friendly smile.

"Something wrong, Eric?" Jackie asked as she caught him staring.

"No," he answered evenly. He and Jackie had never been very close, but she was still his friend. "I'm curious to meet Randy. From what Fez has said about the man it seems he's a likable fellow."

Jackie blinked a few times as she tried to comprehend how Eric was acting. There was no falter in his voice, no jealousy, not even an inkling of concern. His speech contained the articulacy of one highly educated. Donna came over and introduced Randy to Eric. The two men shared an awkward glance, but a second later each of them were grinning and talking to one another. It surprised her at how calm both of them were and she got the sense Randy felt as though he could trust Eric to stay away from trying to win Donna back. By the look on Donna's face though, it was obvious she was either feeling sick or was completely confused.

It wasn't a few seconds later that Donna told them that she'd see them later and left with Randy.

Eric turned to Jackie, who was dressed in a black suit and said, "That sure was awkward."

"For you?" she asked.

"No, but for Donna. I knew what showing up here would do to her, and I knew she would look upon me with both contempt and care, but I think she is confused beyond belief."

"I can understand," Jackie said as she unbuttoned her suit coat, taking it off to reveal a black vest over a tight blue dress shirt that was tucked neatly into her pants.

"Have I changed that much?" he asked.

"I don't know Eric. I can't say we were ever very close, but I was always able to get a sense of who you were. That warmth about you that always seemed to exist now looks to be gone. If I'd guess, I'd say that you've been to war and back, the hell revealing things to you that you would have never thought possible."

Blinking slowly, Eric looked at her with an appreciation for her words. "Jackie, I do believe you just said something that wasn't about yourself."

"I know!" she answered as he smiled, "and usually all I want to do is talk about me after doing the weather."

"So you've changed too?"

"Gods no!" she exclaimed with a laugh. "I'm still who I always was, but at the moment I'm a little in shock too." She watched as he lost his grin and frowned. "Something wrong?" she asked.

About to answer her, he quickly shut up. Jackie and he had never been close and he was now a more private person than before. But, he realized that there weren't many people in his life that could be un-objective about what he had experienced in Africa. His Dad wasn't exactly the person he could turn and talk to, not as though he wanted to, and his mother simply wouldn't be able to grasp what he would tell her. Donna would be uncomfortable around him for some time, Hyde would ignore him and Kelso and Fez would make fun of him. No, he realized, Jackie was probably the only person he knew that might listen to what he had to say without patronizing him. Then again, he was quite sure that after starting any conversation with her, it would turn to herself in mere minutes.

"No, nothing's wrong," he answered her finally. "Do you need a ride home?"

Having come with Donna in her car, Jackie realized that her best friend was nowhere in sight. Sighing, she nodded yes and said, "Just give me a minute to grab my things and I'll meet you out front."

"Okay," he replied with a level voice.

It took a few minutes, but in what seemed like less time than he thought possible, Jackie was walking out of the building with her purse slung over her shoulder.

"Eww, Eric, not the Vista Cruiser!" She halted by the driver's door and shook her head. "I am not letting you drive me home in that." They had become accustomed to taking Hyde's vehicle or Kelso's when the group went anywhere. She silently cursed Red for keeping the old beast running.

Eric stared at her without wavering. "I'd hate to see you get wet walking home. How about you suck up that cheerleader pride of yours and just get in. I can just as easily leave here without you."

Rolling her eyes heavenwards and cursing, she laughed at her predicament. She listened to him and got in, grumbling and making sure not to get her pants dirty on the car as she entered.

"There, now was that so hard?" Eric asked with a grin.

As he grinned, she smiled and laughed a little. In the presence of everyone else she was the same old Jackie, but around Eric she felt as though she was still a child. She may have been a year younger than the rest of them, but she had always felt as if she fit in. But now in the presence of the once boyish young man beside her, she felt like she was in high school again. There was something about him that irked her too. Always one to talk and get her way, she demanded him to tell her as the car took off down the road. "What did you see that's changed you so much?"

He considered not telling her, thinking that it might be best to keep it to himself, but he eventually relented and said, "I saw that I was selfish and pig headed. I believed my ideals would pull me through the experience of teaching in Africa, but instead of me making a difference for the people there, they humbled me."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"One day I was walking to class, ready to teach, but when I showed up there were no young voices eager to greet me. The silence had me concerned, but what I found in my classroom I could never have been prepared for."

Jackie watched as his eyes went forlorn and his hands tightened on the steering wheel. Somewhat afraid to ask him, she thought about staying quiet, but he seemed as though he needed someone to talk to. "What did you find?" she managed to squeak out.

"Death," he replied with a cold stare out the window. "Every single child I had taught for three months had been murdered, their head's brutally cut off with as they hung from the ceiling by their feet."

Unable to imagine what it would be like to encounter such a grizzly scene, she looked back out to the road. Now she understood why he was so different. There was no doubt in her mind that she would have turned out the same way if she had witnessed something so gruesome.

"One of my students was still alive," he said suddenly.

Jackie couldn't help but notice the absolute passiveness in his voice. Most people would have been crying or cracking, but he seemed numb and oblivious to the gruesome details. She didn't need to ask him anything more as he continued on anyways.

"She was my youngest student, a brilliant little girl who had skipped two grades. Her potential had been promising." He paused for a second, lost in thought. "She was the witness left behind by the murderers. I tried to console her, but she had already been lost. What she had seen scarred her for life."

Almost in tears, Jackie cleared her throat and swallowed. Eric's tale was getting to her on a level she had never thought possible.

"Imagine," Eric said unwaveringly, "if that was you and you had to witness the execution of the people you grew up with."

"I could never imagine it," she replied with a hoarse voice.

"Of course you couldn't, but she had to live with it."

Jackie said, "I don't think I could have another peaceful sleep in my life."

"And neither could she," he stated. "Two days later she was found at the bottom of a ravine, having jumped in and fallen to her death almost fifty feet below."

A tear escaped her right eye, Eric's vision blind to it as she hastily wiped it away. "Did they ever find those who killed all those kids?"

"Of course," he replied stoically. "The executioners were their very own countrymen."

At a loss for words, she hugged her arms to herself, feeling suddenly cold. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Genocide never does," Eric replied. "One day later my sponsorship program moved me from the country and down to South Africa. It didn't matter though, the damage had been done"

After a few minutes of silence, Jackie finally said something. "So that's the real reason why you came home?"

He nodded. "I tried to stay, but it was too difficult. The farther I am from that place, the more comfortable I feel. It doesn't change anything though; I can still see those headless bodies hanging from the roof while I sleep at night."

There was no reason he should be opening up to her, and she knew she was the last person that knew how to console him, but it seemed as if Eric had put it behind him as much as he could. Much like the trauma she had endured when her parents split up when she was a child, it was a memory and a wound that would never heal. Trying to sympathize, she said, "I don't know what to say. All I can really tell you is that I'm sorry."

Eric shrugged and laughed a little. "I didn't tell you because I wanted you to feel sorry for me, I told you because I knew you would be the only one to understand my plight. Of all the people I left behind when I went to Africa, you were the one I regretted not knowing enough of."

"Really?" she asked, turning to look at him.

"Yes, and I know that we have little in common, but I also know that no matter how self centered you are, you tend to listen as well as you give. I would tell this to the others, but I know they would make light of it, and what I told you was in no way comical."

"They would make fun of you," she said, smiling a little.

"I may have been gone for two years, but I do remember who my friends are."

"You could have told Donna." That brought a smile to his lips.

"Donna is going to be distant from me for a while, even you know that. Maybe over time she'll come to accept what I've become, but it will take her time."

"Do you really think you've changed that much?"

"What do you think?" he asked.

"I don't know Eric. I think you've changed, but everyone changes. Except me of course," She smiled with confidence, bringing about a laugh from him.

"I don't know how Hyde ever put up with you," he joked. She laughed with him, allowing the slight knock pass. As they both quieted down and silence began to wash over them, he said, "I met his wife."

"A real slut, isn't she?" Jackie said with conviction.

"I believe her name is Sam."

She laughed again, this time at his almost mocking response. His sense of humor had changed drastically as well. It was drier than normal, all of his boyish charm having disappeared along with his innocence.

"So, you managed to go more than five minutes without talking about yourself, Jackie, and since you were nice enough to listen to me, I'll gladly listen to what you have to say."

"Gladly?" she huffed sarcastically.

"Okay, I'll bare it instead."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The ride had been much of what he expected. After telling Jackie about what he had experienced, finally relieved to have told someone, she had spent the rest of the drive blabbering on about this or that. Oddly enough he had endured it in good faith, not once ignoring her but in fact listening intently and nodding vehemently. Sometimes it was good to listen, to let others talk while he took it all in stride. It had become an annoying habit one of his fellow teachers in Africa had noticed. One time he had been told that he'd often watch people for what seemed like no reason at all, unblinking and not once moving. He knew though that those were the moments where he was lost in thought.

Jackie was taking her seatbelt off when she said, "Thanks for the ride."

"No problem," he replied, waving it away with a hand in the air.

Opening up the door, she stopped for a second. "Eric?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you up to this afternoon?"

He thought it was an odd question, especially from Jackie, but he shrugged it off and said, "I don't have anything planned, maybe sit down in the basement until Kelso and Brooke arrive and Hyde gets off work."

"Oh," she stated softly, still holding the door open but not stepping out.

"Why, is there something you need a hand with?" he asked.

She smiled at that, thinking again about how kind and thoughtful he always seemed to be. "No, I was just curious if you wanted to come in for a drink. I don't think you've ever seen my apartment."

His eyebrows rose. Her offer was surprising, especially for her, but he did come home to get reacquainted with friends. Even though he and Jackie had never been close, it was never too late to get to know her better. She was always the one he knew very little about. "No, I don't think I've seen your apartment." He turned off the car and exited, Jackie walking towards the entrance to her apartment building after closing the passenger door on the Vista Cruiser.

Following quickly after, trying not to let the rain soak his shirt too much, he opened the door for her and let her pass through. He did likewise and stood by the elevator with her after she pressed the button to go up. "What floor are you on?" he asked.

"Third. Fez and I rented it together, but now that he's on the road all the time I have it to myself. He still sends a cheque every month for his pay of the rent."

"If I were him I would sublet it since he's never here," said Eric.

Jackie shrugged. "He could, but he does come home once and a while and likes to sleep in his own bed."

As the doors to the elevator opened, they slipped in and Eric pressed the button for her. The light quickly illuminated the number as the doors closed. "One of the letters I received about a year ago said that you and Fez were dating. How'd that turn out?"

"Well enough I guess," Jackie replied. "We dated for a while, but it got really weird." She paused for a second and said, "It's kind of hard to explain. I don't expect you to understand."

As the elevator began to move upwards, he said, "I understand." When she looked over at him with a frown, he elaborated. "He spent all those years wanting you, yet when he had you he didn't know what to do."

"It wasn't entirely his fault," she stated quickly.

"No, but it was weird because you had both built it up to something you couldn't obtain. I've learned that raising your hopes when setting goals makes it harder to deal with failure. If you two hadn't been who you are, it might have worked, but a relationship doesn't change who a person is."

"When did you become so philosophical?" she asked with a laugh.

"I'm not rightly sure, but I guess I've had a lot of time to think the past few years." The doors opened and he followed her into the hallway. "If you want to know the truth, I learned a lot when Donna and I split. The world becomes a much larger place. Things not only seem hazier, but you find yourself comparing everything to what you had in the past."

Jackie could only nod as she put her key into the door and opened it. "Well, this is home," she said with a cheery tone. She stepped in and held the door open for him, watching as he walked in with his hands in his pockets. He spent a minute looking around at the yellow paint and the furniture that adorned the small apartment. "What do you think?" she asked as he continued to be silent.

"I like it," he replied softly.

"Really?"

"Of course, but that's not important."

"What?" she asked, confused.

He turned and faced her. "The important thing is that you like it, and you do like it don't you?"

She hesitated before she answered, taking a hard look around the place before she said, "I guess I like it. It was the one place both Fez and I could compromise on. You know how he is with interior decorating, and I'm no amateur about such things either."

Eric smiled and said, "I can only imagine how much time went by before you both found a place you could tolerate." When Jackie smiled slightly, he shrugged. "Then again, Fez always worshipped you and you could have decided to live in a shack and he'd agree."

"Maybe," she replied mockingly as she dropped her coat on the counter. Removing her vest, she pointed to the fridge with a hooked thumb and said, "There's some beer in the fridge."

"I didn't think you drank?" Eric said as he continued to spy the room with an appreciative eye. Despite what he thought was a horrible color; he had to admit that Jackie had done a good job at filling the place with stylish yet modest accessories.

"I don't drink often, but sometimes I have company over and it never hurts to have some cold ones in there." She opened the door to the fridge and retrieved a bottle, handing it to him and going for a drawer. Reaching in and grabbing the bottle opener, she lifted and held it out to him. He didn't seem to notice her; instead he put the cap into his shirt and popped it off with his right thumb. She silently opened her mouth in shock and said, "I've been meaning to ask you Eric. How did you get so big?"

Eric tossed the cap on the counter and took a small guzzle. "I found out that dealing with my frustration about everything I found in Africa was much easier to handle when I hit a gym and worked out. That frustration is a great driving force if you learn to use it properly."

"Really?" she asked.

He had never liked the fact that she used the word 'really' so often, but he ignored it and nodded. "Plus, Red always said I was too thin." He said the last part with a wry grin, causing her to smile back.

"You look bigger than Michael," Jackie said suddenly.

"Not as tall though," he replied with a wink.

"No, certainly not as tall." She undid the top button on her shirt and said, "I'm going to step into the shower for a moment, just make yourself comfortable and I'll be out in a few minutes."

Eric nodded and watched her disappear into the bathroom, his eyes lingering on the door as it slid closed. The letters he had received that said Jackie hadn't changed seemed like a forgery. She may not admit she was different, but he knew enough about her to see that she wasn't the same naïve person she used to be. Sure, she was still arrogant and slightly overbearing, but that paled in comparison to the actual intelligence he could see in her eyes. Before he had left for Africa he had always gotten the sense that Jackie was a woman who was often defined by the man she was with, but now it seemed as if she had found what she was looking for and was content at being single. In his own little way he was happy for her, yet it was entirely plausible she had gone through something that had changed her.

Turning away from the kitchen, he walked into the living area and sat down in a peach colored couch. Finding the clicker for the television, he turned it on and looked for something to watch. The likelihood of anything good being on in the afternoon was remote, but he had been away from modern society for two years. To his chagrin, he was correct and there was nothing interesting on. He set down the remote, leaving some unimpressive show on and turning the volume down. Getting up slowly, setting his beer on the coffee table in front of him, he walked over to the record player in the corner and sifted through the many albums.

He recognized many of the bands, only a couple of them unfamiliar as he fingered through them slowly. Jackie's taste in music was horribly twisted in his mind, but he also believed his parent's classics were horrible as well. Finding nothing that he liked, he resigned to turning on the radio and was greeted with a strange sound. It was a brand of music he wasn't particularly familiar with and it sounded odd. Instantly disgusted with the sound, he turned the dial and found something more to his liking. It wasn't exactly rock, more or less country, but with enough guitar to satisfy his tastes as he went to the small window and stared out. There wasn't much of a view, only a brick wall to another apartment visible across and alley. Through the window he watched as middle aged man passed by in the apartment across the alley. He suddenly wondered who it was, such little things piquing his interest.

It always fascinated him how each person had their own thoughts and dreams. He had spent his entire teenage life thinking that what he wanted was the same thing Donna wanted. That wasn't true, and it had taken traveling over a thousand miles away from home for him to realize it. Now he held no false illusions to what was around him. He had let Donna go because of that simple fact. What they both wanted differed greatly and he knew it would never work out. He recalled the one afternoon at the church hall where a middle aged man had told him to never marry his high school sweetheart. Having always thought it silly and somewhat a joke, he had come to realize that no truer words had ever been spoken. He knew that if he had in fact married Donna, the likelihood of them being happy was remote.

Slinking over to the couch, he dropped himself into it heavily. So many things had changed since he left, yet in some way the feeling of home never seemed too far away. Grabbing his beer from table, he brought it to his lips and drank slowly. It felt great to be home, but he knew that his troubles would cloud that feeling in time. Wherever he went, no matter if he was in a strip club or a fancy restaurant, the bitterness in him was always there. The frustration of knowing that so many people in Africa were dying this moment because of a senseless war among fellow countrymen was too much. Seeing all those dead children would haunt him to the end of his days, but he silently hoped that being home would limit them.

For the first few weeks after witnessing the grizzly scene, he had slept very little, and when he did, he dreamt about what the young girl must have seen. Every time he did he would wake up in a sweat, his heart pounding in his chest so hard he thought it would always burst. It didn't though, and sometimes he resented the fact that it didn't. The young girl, whose name he could never forget, couldn't live with what she saw, and even though he hadn't witnessed the execution, it was still hard to deal with the aftermath. He was never suicidal, but some days he found no strength to get out of bed in the morning. After he had been moved into the more civilized South Africa, he had lost the drive to teach. Everything had become too unimportant, his days haunted with the large brown eyes of one very scared, very dead little girl.

Now that he was back home though, he would try to leave behind what he had endured in Africa, but would never truly forget. Life was cruel he realized, and often times very difficult to make sense of, but not having the answer was the hardest to deal with. As a teacher, he was accustomed to having the answers, and when a paradox so confusing and unsolvable was thrown at him, he was consumed until he found the answer. The frustrating thing was that he knew that there was no answer to the madness he had seen. But, from such a puzzling question also came an absolute answer. More than ever he knew evil existed.

In the safety and tranquility of Point Place he never had to deal with trivial things such as right or wrong, or what was necessity and want, but in Africa his eyes had been opened to so many horrors that it didn't seem just. Never one for religion, he often found himself wondering if something higher than him did exist, especially if something such as a whole village drinking from a contaminated water source was allowed. No just Supreme Being would allow death and self destruction on such a level, even if the people were ignorant of the risks of living where they did.

The opening of a door snapped him from his thoughts and he turned his head around. Jackie was out of the shower, a towel wrapped around herself as she headed to the fridge. She quickly set a beer on the counter and went into her bedroom. Turning back to the television, his ears still attuned to the radio, he took another drink and set the bottle on his knee.

It wasn't long after that the sound of a blow dryer could be heard, a soft singing also coming from the room as he turned the beer bottle on his knee. The condensation from the beer had put a dark ring on his already dark jeans, the moisture soaking through the pants and cooling his skin. As Jackie continued to dry her hair, he picked up the bottle and dropped it on his knee over and over again, his other hand tapping his other knee to the rhythm of the sound coming from the stereo. In the letters he had shared with his friends back home, Hyde had once confided in him that he had an appreciation for country music. It was something Eric never truly understood until now. The slow beat and dreary voices were the perfect serenade to the troubled soul.

Jackie exited her bedroom to the sound of a slow and methodical sound. She had never been a fan of country music, her tastes lying in the upbeat sound of ABBA or the new contemporary music of the eighties. Plus, she found country music horribly depressing. Newly clean and dressed, a knee length pink skirt and a white cotton shirt hugging her body tightly, she pulled at the tiny sleeves that ended just below the shoulder. In the past she had been used to the best of everything, but now she was much more economical. That didn't mean she bought generic clothing, far from it, but she would often find herself dressing more plainly than usual. Plus, she wasn't going out; she was simply hanging out with a friend.

Grabbing her beer off the counter, she grabbed the bottle opener and popped off the cap. If Eric had heard the loud pop, he seemed not to register it, his head unmoving as his eyes seemed glued to he TV. She couldn't be sure if he was paying more attention to it or the radio, but she quietly walked over and looked at him. He had his beer resting on his right knee and his left palm on the other, looking lost in thought once again. She never understood how some people could look so disconnected from everything around them, but it somehow suited Eric. The always calm natured young man had an air about him that bordered on the secretive.

"I didn't know you liked country," she said with a laugh, falling into the couch beside him with her beer in hand.

"Maybe you would have if you didn't spend all your time telling everyone around you why their taste in music sucks and yours is better."

She could tell he was simply making sport of her, but she still couldn't let it pass without saying something flippant in response. "I couldn't stand what you troglodytes listened to,"

"Troglodytes?" he asked with raised brows. "My, my, Jackie, when did you learn such a big word?"

Snorting at him in disgust, she said, "I always use big words, you just never listen enough to hear them." She took a drink and continued. "I've always been smarter than the lot of you anyways."

"Maybe, but it was only noticeable when you were with Kelso," Eric said, taking another drink.

Jackie laughed and almost spit out her beer. "Being around Michael made everyone look and sound intelligent."

"Sometimes I wonder…" Eric said slowly.

"Wonder what?"

"I wonder if Kelso truly knew no better, or if he acted like he did because he realized that's the way he had to act to try and prove to us and himself that he was a man."

Shaking her head at his deep thinking, she said, "Eric, do you know that when I talk to you that you give me a headache." Instead of getting angry, he smiled.

"I've been told the same thing at least a dozen times," he said. "I told you I had changed, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but this is one of those changes that I don't like. It's good to see your physical change, because I have to agree with your father, you were too skinny, but this new attitude of yours is unsettling."

Eric shrugged and said, "It's who I am."

"Does it have to be?" she asked, taking another drink and looking at him hopefully.

"For now it is," he replied.

"What do you mean by that?"

He paused for a second to take another drink, and when he set his now empty bottle back on his knee, he said, "Coming home is never easy, I'm learning that first hand, but being around friends makes it easier." He could see the ceiling fan reflecting in her eyes as he stared at her. "Right now I'm in a weird place though. On one hand I'm happy to be home and back with the people I care about, but on the other hand I'm beginning to realize that I can't run from what I've seen."

"So you're just putting on a mask and hiding your true self from everyone else?"

"No," he said with a shake of his head, "that's not what I'm doing. I'm not hiding who I am, because this is who I am. Maybe in time things will change and I will become more of who I used to be, but I don't hold any hope that that will happen. I've learned that putting on a mask like you do in front of others is not healthy."

"Mask!" she blurted out, "I don't wear a mask!"

"Sure you do," he replied passively.

"You listen to me Eric Forman, I am Jackie Burkhart and I am who I have always been!"

Eric couldn't help but laugh at her statement. It sounded so ridiculously forced that all he could do was chuckle. His mirth seemed to make her angry though.

"I think your father said it best. You're a dumb-ass, Eric."

"Think whatever you want, Jackie, but I see behind that mask you wear." When she faltered suddenly, he pounced. "I've done the same thing, tried to be what I used to be, but it doesn't work in the end."

Growing ever more impatient and angry, Jackie said, "Then tell me about this mask I wear, if you're so convinced I have one." She rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm not exactly sure why you hide behind your mask, and I'm not sure exactly what you're hiding, but I can only guess it's because you're frightened."

"Frightened about what?" she asked, her tone of voice lowering as she became suddenly interested in what he had to say.

"How should I know exactly?" he said with a shrug. "But maybe it has to do with how other people see you. Maybe you're afraid that if you don't act stuck up and rude, people will stop treating you like a princess and be unwilling to jump to at your every command."

She tried not to shake, managing to keep herself calm as she watched him turn his eyes back to the television. With a leg tucked under her, she continued to stare at him. Was he right? Could she really be wearing a mask? It wasn't a much of a stretch she realized a second later. She had spent her whole life getting what she wanted, people springing forth at her every command. "Okay, Eric, tell me more, if you're so sure that I'm hiding myself." She tried to sound condescending, but her voice sounded as if she wasn't sure of her words.

Shrugging again Eric said, "Like I said before, I'm not certain of the reason, but I am certain you're hiding who you truly are. It may not be evident to those around you, but I see it as plain as day." When he noticed that she didn't seem angry anymore, he tapped her knee with a finger. "Are you all right?"

"What? Oh, yes. I was just thinking."

"That's always good, but sometimes you can over-think."

Jackie straightened her back and poised herself. "Having anything more to say, or are you done?" This time her words came out strong and like herself.

Eric grinned as the strain in her voice was less evident this time. The mask she wore was one she had been using subconsciously for years. "You act loud and rude because you don't think anyone will pay attention to you otherwise. You want attention, much like everyone does, but instead of simply needing it, you crave it, live off it, and when you get it you use it to get what you want. I don't think you purposely act like you do, you simply don't know any other way."

Staring at him, Jackie felt a cold knot in her stomach and gripped her beer bottle tightly. Could he possibly be right? Could a man she had never spoken to for more than a few minutes truly know that much about her? The fact that she couldn't answer that question with a 'no' without doubting herself, scared her to death. What was even more frightening was that Eric Forman, the once meekest man and gentlest person she had ever meant, scared her to death. She could never have imagined how much a person could change in two years, but here sat a young man that hinted at no part of his former self. He was a stranger.

"Can you leave?" she asked suddenly.

Eric looked at her and could see the pain in her eyes, the unfamiliarity with the person in front of her. He understood that look all to well, and nodded. Setting his beer on the coffee table, he stood up and left the apartment.

Jackie didn't watch him leave, her eyes glued to his spot the couch as she gripped the beer bottle with both her hands. They began to shake unsteadily as a shiver went up and down her spine. "I'm Jackie Burkhart," she said to herself with authority, trying to steady herself, but every time she said it again her voice would soften each time until she couldn't hear herself anymore. And that's when she began to cry.


	5. Chapter 5

**You fine people keep reviewing, so I might as well keep updating. It's only fair.**

Chapter 5

Eric sat in a dank bar, his fingers loosely wrapped around a mug of now temped beer. The place was dark, many patrons not wishing to be seen and while those who could be simply ignored the one more lonely soul occupying a stool by the bar. Taking another drink from his mug, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stared into his broth. He had found safe haven in a place like this before, a place where he could be alone and not bothered. It wasn't a stretch for him to know he wasn't well, but the hatred and pain inside him was too much sometimes. It ate away at his very being, corroding his self conscious and driving him to fits of brooding and anger.

No one had seen him get truly angry, and he wished silently to himself that it would never happen. The one time he had let his rage consume him had turned out to have disastrous consequences. He had gotten drunk in a large bar in South Africa, hoping to drown away his problems in alcohol, but he only ended up picking a fight with man over the continent's democracy. The fight hadn't lasted very long, both the man and himself having pummeled one another thoroughly, and eventually dragged and thrown into the drunk tank for the night. That night had earned him ten stitches on the back of the head from a broken beer bottle, but he didn't get it as bad as the other man. The man he had fought had received a broken nose and orbital bone. He hadn't meant to hit the man so hard, but all the pain he had been holding in had come out in one big display of fury.

If he hadn't woken up in the jail cell at two in the morning, the man who he had fought would have likely died. The man's face had heavily swollen and his breathing had been ragged. He had quickly alerted the guard and together they rushed him to the hospital. They had arrived in time, the man getting the care he needed, but the constable who had arrested the two of them could see Eric had been deeply affected by what he had done. Any charges by the bar had been dropped and he had been sent home in the morning after spending the remainder of the night back in the cell. He had learned that lesson hard that night, and knew drowning his problems in alcohol wasn't the answer. An angry drunk he had never been, but then again he was a drastically changed man.

Taking another swallow, nursing the beer so that he was able to drive home, he thought back to what had just transpired at Jackie's apartment. He hadn't meant to make her so upset, but he did realize that he had the tendency to do that to people. There was no question in his mind he had spoken the truth to her, and some part of him leaving had to do with the fact that she couldn't process what he said. When she had told him to leave he knew it mainly had to do with herself, but there had been a slight anger and hatred to her voice. But, he didn't regret what he said. He rarely regretted anything anymore. Every action had consequences, he knew that, and dwelling on the past wasn't healthy. The irony was that he was haunted by the past and couldn't escape it.

Swirling the beer around in his mug, he watched it go counterclockwise until it almost had him hypnotized. Once again his mind drifted to Jackie and what had happened. He hated himself for making her upset, and somewhere inside him he found that some remorse had found its way in. They had never been very close, but he couldn't help what he saw. Whether or not she saw what he did, or was even conscious of it, he knew she needed to hear what he said. The truth was sometimes painful, but in the end it would be the start of something healing and wonderful for her. He knew that if Jackie continued to question whether he was right, she would either become the person she really was, or drive herself to be even more abrasive. By the look in her eyes when he had left, there wasn't much doubt that it would be the former. The once high school cheerleader was older now, and her innocence gone. The only thing that clung to her from that era was the mask she wore. He had ripped it off and slapped it in her face, and although she might hate him now, in the future she would come to appreciate what he did.

That was one thing he hated, knowing that he was right, especially when others listened to him and dismissed his words like nothing. He knew months later they would realize he was actually right. There was little satisfaction derived from such acts of friendship, often times those particular actions distancing the people around him for months on end. It wasn't until they began to understand what he meant did they become close again. Jackie would be like that for a while, or she might show him the intelligence he had seen in her and come to him quickly. He hoped for the latter, knowing that in due time he would likely alienate every except his father.

Looking at the clock above the bar made him sigh. It was almost dinner and he had to be home, but for reasons he knew all too well, he wanted to buy another beer.

-

Jackie spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch, thinking to herself about what Eric had said. His words had been surprisingly hurtful, yet the air of truth to them had begun to sink in minutes after he had left. Her cheeks were stained with tears, her eyes red and puffy, but oddly enough she was more relieved than distraught.

Eric had been right of course, she had been putting on a mask in front of everyone. It wasn't a horrible stretch to believe it. Her whole life had been about showing everyone else she was tough, strong, and most of all independent. When her father had gone to jail she had turned to no one, only relenting slightly to those who gave her charity. It bothered her that everyone was had been concerned about her during that time period, especially when she treated them poorly when they went through a crisis of their own. But, now that she was on her own and was truly independent, she wondered if what she always wanted, popularity and a successful job, was enough. Were material things more important than being happy and true to yourself?

In the past she would have laughed at herself for even thinking such a thought, but now things were different. She and Donna weren't very close anymore, yet they still held a good friendship that kept them both stronger for it. She had noticed that she had become more of a friend than an acquaintance, more often listening to what Donna had to say rather than dismissing the redhead's musings and interrupting with her own. She had simply passed the change off as maturation, but now armed with what Eric had said, she was quite certain she had always been that way, but always wore her mask.

It was almost five when the phone rang, causing her to jump slightly. As her heartbeat began to slow, she picked it up and said, "Hello?"

"_Hi Jackie," _It was Mrs. Forman. _"We're throwing together a little party for Eric. Everyone's going to be there." _

"What would you like me to bring?" Jackie asked, almost laughing, knowing Mrs. Forman all too well.

"_Oh nothing, dear. I just wanted to make sure you could come."_

Jackie almost said no, not sure if she could be around Eric so quickly after what he said. But, a few seconds later she agreed and said bye to Mrs. Forman. There shouldn't have been any hesitation on her end; especially since she knew it wasn't Eric's fault that she felt like she did. Sure, he had said the words that opened the flood gates, but it was within her that the pain came from. In a way she resented him for saying what he did, because she wasn't quite sure if she could handle all the questions swimming through her head, but she couldn't hate him. If anything she realized in due time she would likely thank him, especially if things worked out for the better.

Wiping her eyes for the last time, she turned up the volume on the television.

-

Eric had lingered at the bar a little longer than he should have, earning a lecture about promptness from his father and a hug from his very worried mother. He took it all in stride, not wanting to upset either of them any more than they were.

Dinner went off without incident, his mother taking the opportunity to grill him more than enough about what Africa was like. What he had told her in the morning wasn't half of what he'd done, but nonetheless he prattled on and on, not paying much attention to what he was saying. By the end of dinner there were no more questions from his parents, just him talking about what he had experienced. He specifically left out most of the gruesome details of one particular week, especially to keep his mother from worrying. She had just gotten her son back and the last thing he wanted to do was upset her.

As all three of them sat around the table, plates empty and drinks in their hands, the sound of brakes hit Eric's ears and he smiled slightly. It was Kelso. Getting out of his seat, he opened the sliding door and was instantly wrapped in a bear hug of epic proportions.

"Kelso," he wheezed as he could hear his friend say his name excitedly. It took another long minute before his large friend put him down.

Kelso gripped him by the shoulders and said, "Damn man, it's good to see you."

"I'm glad to be back," Eric responded.

Patting his friends shoulder and squeezing Eric's forearms as if he were inspecting meat, Kelso frowned. "When did you get so big? I thought there wasn't much food in Africa?"

"That's only in the poor villages," Brooke said, walking over with Betsy on her hip.

The little girl was nearly two years old, still with a pacifier in her mouth and long brown hair. She looked the spitting image of her mother and father, but with the sharp eyes of her mom. Eric let out a sigh at that, hoping to god that that meant she would take after her mother.

"How are you Brooke?" Eric asked as she handed over Betsy to her father.

Hugging Eric, she said, "Wonderful."

"I'm glad to hear it," he replied, finally disengaging to notice his parents standing behind him. His mother instantly stepped past him and started making funny noises at Betsy.

Kelso said, "You know Mrs. Forman, she's two years old. She's not a baby anymore."

"She'd still wearing diapers, Michael," Kitty admonished, "she's still a baby." She quickly scooped the girl into her arms and carried her into the house, no doubt heading for the sweets in the cupboard.

"You're mother spoils her rotten," Brooke said as she looked at Mrs. Forman disappear into the kitchen, Red not a step behind warning his wife that candy would make Betsy sick.

"So when did you get home?" Kelso asked as he slapped Eric on the back rather hard.

"Last night," Eric answered, almost getting the wind knocked out of him. "I got in pretty late."

"Have you met Hyde's wife?" he asked with a large grin and a slight nod to his head. Brooke playfully slapped him on the shoulder, but he continued to grin.

"In fact I did."

"What did you think?" His grin was still as wide as ever.

Eric watched as Brooke rolled her eyes. "She's nice."

"She's a stripper!" Kelso said loudly.

"I know, but it's not like she's going to dance for us," Eric added with a wink.

"Never say never, Forman."

Eric laughed at Kelso, Brooke joining in a second later. "I must ask you how you put up with him," he said to her.

Brooke shrugged and said, "It's not too difficult, it's just like raising twins." She smiled a second later.

The knock seemed to pass over Kelso as he stood rocking from side to side with a large grin on his face. Eric laughed a little. "I can only imagine."

"After a few minutes you won't need to imagine," said Brooke as she passed Eric, Kelso in stride behind her.

Seeing Kelso and his fiancé disappear into the house, he stood outside for a second and watched through the patio door. His mother was smothering Betsy on the counter while his father was shaking his head and grumbling under his breath. Not all things changed, he thought to himself as Red almost removed Kelso's arm at the elbow as he tried to take one of his father's beers out of the fridge.

It wasn't a few seconds later that Hyde pulled into the driveway in his El Comino. Stepping out in his famous sunglasses and black t-shirt, he nodded to Eric. "I see that Brooke and her two children are here."

Eric laughed suddenly. "You could say that again."

"So, what are you doing out here then?"

"Watching."

Hyde nodded for a second and watched with him. "Some things never change do they?"

"Apparently not," Eric replied with another laugh.

"Come on, man, let's go inside and drink. I'm usually late for supper and your mom always leaves a plate for me." As they moved into the house, he added, "It'd be great if Fez was here."

Eric nodded.

"I'll admit, I miss that foreign bastard," Kelso said.

"Michael," Brooke said loudly, "don't use that type of language around our daughter."

"Sorry," he apologized; still grinning as he finally snuck a beer out of the fridge and went into the living room with a finger to his lips to make sure the others kept quiet as he hid it from Red.

Hyde quickly sold him out. "Hey Red, Kelso just took one of your beers."

"He what?!" Red said loudly.

"Trader!" yelled Kelso as Red charged into the living room.

It took a few minutes before the laughter died down, but soon Brooke and Kitty were talking amongst themselves in the dining room with Betsy and Hyde had his supper heating in the microwave. He went to the fridge and retrieved a few beers, both from his own supply.

"Sam at work?" Eric asked as Hyde handed him a beer. He had had enough beer today, but another wouldn't hurt he figured.

"Yep, she works from four to twelve."

"And you don't have a problem with the fact that your wife is a stripper?" Eric asked as Hyde removed his plate from the microwave and sat down at the table.

"Why would I?" he asked, slowly blowing on his hot food.

Eric sat across from him and shrugged. "I don't know, maybe because it's not right."

Hyde shrugged and said, "If dancing around naked on a pole is what she wants to do, who am I to tell her not to?" When his once scrawny friend nodded, he could see a few dark circles around his eyes. "You look tired, Forman," he said through a mouthful of food.

"The ride back on the plane was a little rough," Eric replied.

"A lot of turbulence?"

"More than I'd care to admit."

Hyde nodded continued to eat, the conversation dying quickly. He appreciated silence as much as the next person, but Eric often had a lot to say. His friend was being uncharacteristically silent though. He didn't get a chance to swallow his second morsel of food when Kelso came bursting through the swinging door.

"You're dad's a jerk, Eric," he said.

"I heard that!" Red yelled from in the living room.

Kelso cringed a little and sat down at the table with Eric and Hyde. "So, have you seen Donna and Jackie yet?" he asked.

"I stopped by the news studio this afternoon," Eric said.

Hyde snorted. "How did that go?"

"It was mildly unpleasant." That brought about a small laugh from each of them

"What did you think about Donna's new boyfriend?" Kelso asked. "Brooke says he's almost as pretty as me, but come on!" he said with cockiness to his voice.

Eric shrugged and took another drink. "Randy seems like a good guy. Donna seems happy."

"Are you?" Hyde asked.

"I'm not unhappy," Eric replied.

"You don't care that she's with someone else?"

Shrugging yet again, Eric said, "Of course I care, I care that she's happy. And if Randy makes her happy, then I'm pleased."

Hyde watched his friend, looking for any signs that might hint at a betrayal of words, but he couldn't find any. Had Eric truly gotten over Donna? It seemed plausible. He was halfway through his meal when Donna came by and opened the door, letting herself in as usual. She stopped suddenly as she found the three of the sitting at the table.

"Where's Randy?" Kelso asked with a stupid grin.

"He's working at the record store," she replied with a smug frown. "You should know that."

"He should be by in a few hours," Hyde said as he finished his plate. "I told him to lock things up when he was done and make sure to come by."

"What about Sam?" Donna asked.

"Working," Hyde replied as he took a drink. He looked across the table and noticed that Eric's visage hadn't changed. He looked unaffected by Donna's presence.

"Where's your dad?" Kelso asked, looking up at Donna, who was glancing at Eric every couple seconds.

"He'll be here in a few minutes."

"Then let's get the hell out of here," Hyde said quickly, leaving his plate and fork on the table and getting up. He quickly darted from the room and down into the basement, not once spilling a drop of beer as Kelso bit at his heels.

Eric watched them disappear and grinned.

"Are you not going to follow them?" Donna asked.

"I've never had anything against your father. Sure, he can make things uncomfortable at times, but I'm not a chicken like those two."

Donna laughed suddenly. "Why don't you tell them that to their face?"

"I'm not looking for a fight," Eric replied with a slight chuckle. "Besides, Kelso is liable to start squawking like a chicken." They both shared a good laugh, something familiar and less tensioned.

"About earlier," Donna said.

"It's fine," he cut her off. "I know it was hard for you, but I forgot about that. The truth is that I moved on a long time ago and I what really wanted to do was see everyone again. I didn't take the time to think how much it would affect you. Honestly, I thought I would have felt something when I saw you again, but I didn't."

Trying not look sunken, she said, "Its okay, Eric, I was just a little shocked by your sudden appearance." When he nodded in understanding, she removed her coat and hung it on the hook by the door. "Did you give Jackie a ride home this afternoon? She wasn't around when I left."

Eric nodded, not bothering to say anything. What happened between him and Jackie would stay like that, between the two of them. Even though the fiery brunette had a tendency to blather about everything, she would keep her mouth shut for now. It sometimes irked him at how perceptive he had become.

"It'd be nice if Fez was here?" Donna noted to no one in particular.

"It would be, but it's good to see he's found a job he loves. I really never thought he'd do hair his whole life."

"Me either."

"How often do you guys hear from him?"

Donna thought for a second and said, "About once a week, depending on how busy he is. He does a show six times a week so he's up late and often asleep when we're awake."

Kitty's voice suddenly sounded from inside the living room. "Donna, is that you?"

"Well, I better go and make sure your mother doesn't spoil Betsy."

"Too late," Eric said with a laugh.

He waited a few seconds until he heard a lot of commotion coming from the other room and the odd voice wondering where Jackie was. It wasn't soon later that he heard his mother say that they couldn't wait forever and called him into the room. Sighing heavily and getting out of his chair, he ambled over to the door and went through; knowing full well what was on the other side.

And so it came to pass, the cake, the beer, the welcome home speeches, but it all seemed somewhat difficult to deal with when neither Jackie nor Fez were present. He had taken the small party in stride, smiling when he needed to and talking about his time in Africa if asked, but deep down this was the last thing he wanted. There shouldn't be any party for his return, he didn't deserve one.

As the clock began to stretch its hand close to the twilight of midnight, his parents told him to take it down to the basement while they got ready for bed. Randy had shown up somewhere around eight, joining in on the fun. He liked Donna's new boyfriend, there was something about the man that Eric found interesting. Maybe it was the fact that he was in a band, or the fact he knew more about music than anyone he had ever met, but he liked him.

Now sitting in the basement with his friends surrounding him, he set his feet on the table in front of couch and looked at the wall. He didn't expect Jackie to show up, and his mother had called her several times, but she never answered. As much as all the festivities bothered him, he never showed his displeasure. He showed the same reaction when someone had pointed out that maybe Jackie wasn't coming. Kelso had said something about how Jackie was being shallow, and he let it pass, but for a moment he had considered speaking in defense of her.

"It's getting late," Brooke said as she looked at her watch.

"Well, Betsy's already asleep and my parents are expecting us," Kelso replied.

Together they left, but not before Kelso shook Eric's hand with a hard pump and said, "It's good to have you back home, man."

"Thanks," Eric replied, "Like I said before, I'm glad to be back."

As he watched the pair leave he truly wondered if he was glad to be back. On a certain level he needed to be home, but he questioned whether or not he could stay for long. The gnawing feeling in his gut was always something that pushed him from once place to another. He had learned that trying to stop himself from doing what his heart told him was futile. Thinking and not doing what had to be done only prolonged the pain and hardship. That's why he had broken up with Donna rather then let things fester.

"Well," Donna said as she stood up, "I think we best get going. I need to check and see if my dad still has dip in his hair."

Eric laughed, remembering how, not just two hours ago, Bob had managed to get half the carton of dip in his hair. It was Kelso's fault actually, but Donna's dad hadn't seen it. Bob had left minutes later and never returned, but did call to say that he was trying his best to remove the onion smell.

He shook hands with Randy and hugged Donna, each of them saying goodbye. Once they were gone only he and Hyde were left. The once burnt out teenager was silently dozing in his chair.

Tossing a chip at him, Eric said, "Wake up!"

Hyde grumbled and opened his eyes, peering at Eric with a menacing stare.

"You've become a working man," Eric said. "You work long days and need the weekends to recuperate."

"I do not," Hyde replied half asleep, standing up and heading for his room. When he was about halfway there, he turned to Eric and said, "I still party like I used to."

"Sure you do," Eric said, laughing as Hyde continued into the bedroom and closed the door. He could hear his friend mutter a few curses as the light inside the bedroom was turned off.

Spying the numerous beer cans littering the basement, Eric decided to leave it until the morning to clean up and went upstairs after turning off the basement light. Turning off the lights from every room he went through, he shut off the living room light and went up the stairs. He was about two steps up when he heard a knock at the door. Frowning, wondering who it might be, he opened it. There in the moonlight stood Jackie, her long black hair combed straight and flipped at the ends. She was still dressed in her pink knee length skirt and white shirt, but she had a stylish blue coat on that was cinched at the waist with a blue leather belt.

"Can I come in?" she asked softly.

"Of course," he replied, turning on the light and closing the door behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"How did you get here?" he asked as she came in and took her coat off.

"I took the bus."

"Jackie Burkhart takes the bus?" he exclaimed with an open look of shock slapped across his face.

"I know," she said with a small smile, "I think I'm becoming civilized."

"Yeah right," he blurted out softly.

"You never know," she replied with a shrug.

Eric said, "Let's go into he kitchen, my parents are upstairs asleep."

Nodding, she followed him into the kitchen and found a chair to sit in at the table.

"Want anything to drink?" he asked as he bent over into the fridge.

"What do you have?" she asked, but when he rooted around, making a lot of noise, she simply said, "Whatever you have is fine."

"That's what I was hoping you were going to say," he said as he removed two bottles of orange soda and popped the caps off. Bringing it to her, he sat down across the table and took a drink. "You should have come by earlier, everyone else would have liked to see you."

"You're lying, I know some of them like that I'm not around."

Eric smiled pathetically and said, "You underestimate your importance Jackie."

"I don't think so Eric."

He could tell she was fragile at the moment, her self confidence having eroded away and leaving a tender human being in its wake.

Looking down at the bottle in her hand, she blinked a few tears away. "I'm tired Eric, I'm tired of everything."

He smiled suddenly and took a drink. "I know, and that's exactly why you're here Jackie. I've known for a long time that once you lost that naiveté you've carried around for so long, you'd find yourself lost. Sure, you have a great job and a substantial amount of fame, but what good is all that if you don't know who are?"

Jackie let a tear fall and she hastily wiped it away with the back of her left hand. "I don't know who I am, Eric."

"That's okay; you have all the time in the world to find out."

"Do you know who you are?" she asked suddenly, sniffling just a little.

"I thought I did, but to this day I'm not entirely sure. Part of what I am is what you see in front of me, but that other part won't come until I can find a way to sleep peacefully at night. It's an ongoing process, one that could take years, or just months to complete. Mine started when I left for Africa, yours starts right now."

"But I have no idea what to do, and I'm scared that I'll fail."

Eric smiled and shook his head. "You won't fail, Jackie, I promise you."

"How can you promise me that?" she asked through tears, almost laughing at him.

"Because I won't let you fail," he replied, reaching across the table and gripping her left hand tightly. "I will help you find who you are."

She looked into his eyes and saw nothing but comfort and warmth. The once steely gaze of his had been washed away. "Really?" she asked, allowing his warm hand to steady her. His hands were much bigger than she remembered.

"Yes, and I pledge to you that I'll do everything in my power to make sure you succeed." As she began to smile again, he said, "I am a teacher after all, and I take it personally when someone fails. I don't accept it and I won't allow you to."

"And what if I do ultimately fail?" she asked, still skeptical and lost.

"Then I would have given my last breath to try and help you. I will not give up on you Jackie. You've begun a path that many rarely get a chance to travel, and sure, there are many bumps along the way, but with my help they will be less painful."

"Why?" she asked, allowing him to trail his thumb over her hand softly. It was reassuring and gentle, like he had always seemed.

"Why what?" he asked, finally taking his hand of hers and wrapping them around his pop bottle.

"Why is it that the two of us have to endure such a journey while others know who they are so easily?"

Eric shrugged and took another drink. "Maybe it's that something higher than us is testing us, or maybe we are different than everyone else. I never thought myself one of the generic people on this world. I always thought to aspire to something, much like you. Maybe we think so highly of ourselves than when we find what we're searching for we're never truly happy. Happiness is something you attain, not obtain."

Jackie listened to him without blinking. "I think I looked to obtain happiness from the men I dated, but I don't think I really ever found what I was looking for."

Smiling, realizing she was as bright as he figured, he nodded at her. "That's why we're speaking about this now. You would have bounced around from one place to another or one man to another, yet never knowing why." As Jackie continued to stare at him, he lost his smile and took another drink. "It's nice to have that veil ripped from your eyes, isn't it?"

"Nice?" Jackie admonished loudly "I'd say that is was quite possibly the scariest and most painful thing in my life. School and work are one thing, but not knowing who you are is scariest of all." That comment caused Eric to grin again. Taking a sip of her soda, she swallowed and set it back on the table. "How did you know I'd come here, Eric?"

He shrugged and said, "I knew you'd come for an explanation sooner or later. For someone like yourself, curiosity is something that grips you. I am much alike in that regard; I can't let something go until I find and exhaust all opportunities."

"But how did you know I would come back so soon?"

"That, I wasn't overtly sure about. I knew it wouldn't take more than a few days, but when I look upon you I see intelligence well beyond your years. It hides behind the mask you wear, but sometimes when you speak of yourself, and not of material things, that mask will disappear. You're a smart woman Jackie, and you proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt by showing up here so quickly."

Jackie almost laughed at him. In the past she had been called dumb by so many people, yet that was when she dated Kelso. Being around him only allowed her to think like the shallow little girl she always acted like. Being with Steven caused her nothing but pain in the end, and she knew for a fact that he didn't think she was smart enough to understand him. She understood him though and knew that he was simply damaged.

"What about everyone else?" she asked suddenly. "Am I the only one you see wearing a mask?"

Eric shook his head. "The only other person I see that is like both of us is my father."

"You're father?" she asked with astonishment.

Nodding, Eric said, "He's the example of what can happen if you don't get the chance to find out who you are. He had been shipped off to war when he was younger than us and he was irreparably damaged because of it. It hardened him before he could get a chance to really explore all possibilities. To this day he resents it, and in the end he takes it out on me."

Jackie nodded slowly with him. It made sense, so much so that she almost laughed again at the irony. "What about Steven? He's always been a lost soul looking for something." Hyde was the biggest enigma she had ever known, so much so she couldn't stand being with him near the end of their relationship.

Eric saddened, his shoulders drooping suddenly. "Hyde is something else entirely. He's already been lost."

"What do you mean by lost?"

"The way he grew up hardened him before he even hit high school. He knows no other way to happiness. But unlike my father, he'll never find any comfort."

"That's why he married Sam," Jackie said softly.

"Exactly."

Jackie looked at her soda then let her eyes flicker up to Eric suddenly. "We could help him," she said.

Eric shook his head. "You have enough on your plate now, but even if you didn't we couldn't help him. Like I said before, he's lost."

"I thought you said that you would never let me fail, how could you let him?"

Sighing, he said, "He's already failed, but it wasn't his fault. It was his parents. Just because you think everyone can be helped doesn't mean they can be. I thought long and hard on this Jackie, and I've examined it from all angles. It can't be done because he would never let it be. He's accepted what he's become and will not differ from the path he's on."

"So he's a lost cause?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied sadly. "As much as I want to help him, he wouldn't accept it, and I'm enough of a realist to know that my efforts would be wasted."

"I feel so bad for him," Jackie said, taking a slow drink.

"I guess pity and sorrow are warranted when it comes to Hyde, but you also have to understand that he doesn't know there is another way. If we tried to explain it to him he would simply ignore us. It's who he is, and like I said before, it takes something drastic to change yourself. The problem is that nothing could shock or move Hyde enough to make him change. He was raised to be as hard as granite, and for the rest of his life he will pay for it unknowingly."

Jackie simply continued to look at her drink, wondering if that's why they hadn't worked in the end.

Eric, as if reading her thoughts, said, "That's likely the reason why you two never worked out." When she looked up at him with a glimmer of hope in her eyes, he continued. "Your relationship got to a certain level that he had never experienced before. He hadn't been around anything similar in his life. His dad left home when he was young, and it is said many times, like father like son. He would argue that until hell freezes over, but it's true. Everyone around him left, and he was too afraid that you might leave him too."

"So that's why he ended it?" she asked sorrowfully.

"That's the meat of it," he replied with a helpless smile. "Below that curly head lies an enigma of epic proportions. I learned long ago to simply ignore it and be his friend. That's what he needs."

Jackie couldn't help but shake her head. Eric had changed so drastically she could scarcely believe what she was hearing. On one hand she knew everything he was saying was correct, yet it all seemed foreign coming from his mouth. "What am I supposed to do now?" she asked a second later, feeling helpless.

Eric breathed out heavily and leaned back in his chair. "That's the sixty-thousand dollar question, isn't it?" He sighed again and said, "I'm not exactly sure what you should do because every person is different. I am far from done my search, yet I've found part of it. I need to be around people that love and support me. I received no affection from my father, and I received so much from my mother that I ignored it. It's what comes from my friends that I think I need the most. Maybe it's the same for you?"

"Maybe," she echoed, her hands wiping the condensation off the bottle. "I just don't know how to begin something like that. Do I set goals and strive for them?"

He smiled helplessly and said, "That's what I did, but I allowed myself a large margin of failure. Learning who you are is not instantaneous, and it's through trial and error you find out what it is you're looking for. And believe it or not, you've already started."

"Really?"

"Absolutely," he replied with a grin. "Sitting here and sharing your feelings with me is a start. Having someone to come to and bounce questions off of, or just vent to, is a great thing. I began my journey with no one in my corner, but now as you start yours you won't be alone. And because of that I am no longer alone anymore. The path will be smoother for both of us, but you will be spared the trauma I have endured."

"You really meant it when you said you were going to go through this by my side, didn't you?"

"Have you ever known me to break my promises?" he asked with a smug grin.

"I can't say that I have," she replied, smiling at him. Of all the people in the world, Eric Forman was the last one she could have ever expected would know so much about her. It was comforting to know that there would be someone by her side to help her, but she knew that from the look in his eyes that he had been searching for someone to help him as well. It was part of what he was seeking, and being a teacher it was never more prevalent. Along his way he would help as many as he could. She would be the first.

"Maybe you should be a psychologist or a life coach," she said suddenly.

"I don't think so," he replied with a snicker. "This is enough deep thinking for me. I only know what I do because I experienced it. I hold no false intentions to be something I know I'm not. I'm a teacher and that's what I'll always be."

"I wish I knew what to be," she said softly, finishing her soda in a swallow.

"Just be patient Jackie, and we'll find it out together."

_Together_ she thought to herself. She liked the sound of that.

A few moments of silence lingered before she finally broke it by saying, "Now that this is all out in the open, do you mind taking me home?"

"I'd be glad to," he said smiling and getting up out of his chair. He grabbed his jacket from the living room and hers as well. He came back into the kitchen and helped her into it. A second later he grabbed the keys from the bowl and said, "Let's go before Hyde's wife finds me at the table again. I'd hate to think she thinks me a drunken hermit."

Jackie laughed at him as she made her way around the Vista Cruiser and got in. Eric locked the house and quickly came around, hopped in and started the engine. It wasn't a second later that he had her out of the driveway and on her way back to her apartment. Maybe just maybe he might sleep peacefully tonight.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N - I'm usually not one to say a whole lot before I post chapters, mainly because I have little to no constructive words to convey, but I just want to thank everyone for reading and reviewing.**

Chapter 7

He had thought wrong he realized, having jumped awake as the first head of a young boy was about to be cleaved off his shoulders. Sweat beaded down his face and neck as he took a few labored breaths, trying desperately to calm himself. The nightmares weren't nearly as bad anymore, but they still caused him to wake up suddenly. This one had been the worst since he had been home.

Usually the dreams presented themselves in a somewhat surreal environment with a wall of grey matter and no tangible pieces except the executioner and the blade. Often times the young boy would stand up to be slaughtered, but this night he was once again hanging. Luckily he had woken up before the execution had been carried out. Back in Africa it had much worse than that. Because he had no idea what the men who had killed the children looked like, he always imagined them dressed in army fatigues and a balaclava on their head. The worst nights were where he would scream as he watched every child murdered in his dreams, and then he would awake as he stared into the frightening eyes of the little girl.

He had tried a million different things to try and force the dreams away, but neither lack of sleep or sleeping pills did the trick. Every night he knew that they would come to haunt him, to taunt him. He had refused to sleep for a whole week once, sure that it would do the trick, but he soon realized that without proper slumber the dreams would only intensify in pain and bloodshed. Some nights he could swear that as he was back in the classroom and the blood of the children was rising, threatening to drown him. It was that dream that made him think of his own mortality. He had heard the term shell shock from school and knew what he was experiencing was a form of it. There was no cure he had been told, and he had yet to go to a therapist. Having always been skeptical about their profession, he stayed away, but as the nightmares didn't begin to go away, he was becoming increasingly more open to the idea.

Lying back down, his head resting on his soaked pillow, he let out a long breath. He quickly turned the pillow over and laid his head back down. The night had gone much to his expectations, even with Jackie stopping by. Their talk had been something that they both needed, and even the small chatter in the car ride back to her apartment had been pleasant. In fact, that was where he was at the moment. By the time he had gotten her back to her apartment he had been incredibly tired. She insisted that he take the pull out bed in the living room and he relented, knowing that he was in fact too tired to drive home.

Watching the ceiling fan spin above him, he tried to let it hypnotize him to sleep, but it didn't work. He hated what was happening. Usually dreams would fade away from memory, but his wouldn't. They were always fresh and torturous. Sighing for the hundredth time, he looked over to the clock on the wall. He could barely make out the time as he squinted hard. There was no light in the apartment, yet there was a faint glow that came from the window so that he could see a little. It was four in the morning and he knew it was unlikely he could get back to sleep.

Sitting up in frustration, he punched the bed, the springs creaking and causing his hand to bounce harmlessly off the mattress. He slung his legs over the side and put his head in his hands. Sometimes he wondered if the nightmares would go away or whether he would have to deal with them the rest of his life. Somehow he knew that the latter wasn't something he could live with, and in due time he knew the possibility of doing harm to himself to escape the nightmares was a possibility. That was almost as frightening as the dreams themselves. The idea of hurting himself to focus the pain elsewhere was completely beyond what he thought possible, but now that he couldn't shake the pain of sleep, it was becoming frighteningly real.

"Eric?"

He looked over to see Jackie come out from her bedroom, turning on the kitchen light as she was dressed in a simple set of plaid flannel pajamas. It took a second for his eyes to adjust, but once they did he opened them up to see her walking slowly towards him.

"It's what you talked about earlier, isn't it?" she asked.

"The worst since I've been back home." He ran his hands over his hair and let out a heavy breath.

"Do you need a glass of water or something?" she asked.

"No thanks," he replied, his eyes once again on the floor as his head hung in his hands. He was in his boxers and white t-shirt, but there was an ugly yellow ring around the neck and he was starting to smell it. Taking it off without so much as an afterthought, he tossed it into the corner and growled in frustration.

Jackie stared at his bare back for a second, but went over and sat beside him on the edge of the bed. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked, gently laying a hand on his back.

"No, there's nothing anyone can do."

"You promised to help me, Eric, I'll help you in any way I can."

"I know, but this is something I have been battling on my own for almost a year. You couldn't even begin to understand enough to help me."

He sounded completely lost, a complete opposite from the confident and seemingly stoic man she had spoken to just over twelve hours ago. "You could try and help me understand."

"It wouldn't be prudent to submit you to my anguish, Jackie."

Noting that he was being as hard as ever and trying to spare her the pain, she almost laughed. Even in such a painful and helpless moment she found his protective nature mirror to that of his father. So many people wanted to protect her from everything. "I'm not a little girl anymore, Eric, you've made me realize that, and I can help you if you would only let me."

Shaking his head in defiance, he slowly lay back down on the bed and stuck his right cheek into the pillow. Maybe with his back to her she would leave him alone. He knew he had promised to help her, and even though he knew he needed help as well, he felt as though this was something he needed to get through by himself. If anything, it wasn't about sparing her the pain; it was about sparing himself the pain of speaking about it. The day before when he had told her what happened, he may have seemed complacent, but he had been everything but. Simply telling her had been so taxing on him he had almost fallen asleep at the wheel after it was over. Mentioning it to anyone always took a lot out of him and he wasn't sure if his heart could take saying the words over again.

Jackie let her hand fall away from his slippery back as he lay back down on the pullout bed. It pained her to see him so scared, even too frightened to open up to her. She had revealed so much to him on a whim, and he had accepted it in good grace and gave her information that had probably saved her from a life of misery. But what he was doing now was making her miserable and all she wanted to do was hold him. It shocked her how close they had become in just one day, but she knew that sometimes things worked in mysterious ways and that life threw curveballs left and right. In a span of twenty-four hours her life had been turned upside down, yet she didn't look back on it with contempt. In fact, Eric coming back was probably the best thing that had ever happened to her. Because of him she was on the path to learning who she was and had gained a really close friend in the process.

Sighing, continuing to watch Eric lay on the bed, she smiled slightly. Even though the moment was heavy on her heart, she couldn't help but notice the muscles that popped up and down on his back as he breathed. It took a few minutes, but in due time his breathing became more steady and she lifted her legs onto the bed. She gently turned over and stared at the window, a sense of hopelessness filling her as she could hear Eric breathing steadily behind her. Having lost the energy to get up and go back to her room, she resigned to falling asleep. It didn't come as quickly as she thought, but it did come, and even then it was troubled.

-

A sound awoke her, causing a groan to escape her throat as she turned onto her back after realizing she hadn't budged from the spot she had fallen asleep in. As she turned over onto her back, she fell into the middle of the sofa-bed. Eric was gone, she realized, closing her eyes in frustration. The day before had started harmlessly enough, only worried about messing up on television her only concern, but not twenty-four hours later she was concerned about something entirely different.

Smelling something rather good, she sat up and looked behind her. On the stove sat a pan, the smell of bacon wafting its way into the living room and filling her nostrils. She quickly slung her legs over the edge of the bed and got up, taking a moment to stretch and yawn. Noticing a second later that his shirt was missing from the corner, she walked to the kitchen in a haze, sleep and exhaustion still holding onto her as if they wouldn't let go. It had taken almost thirty minutes to get back to sleep, and she had been sure that just before she did, Eric had still been awake. She doubted he had gotten back to sleep at all.

Finally reaching the kitchen, she lifted the top off the pan and was presented with two over-easy eggs, a few slices of toast and enough bacon she could have sworn it had once been an entire hog. Allowing the smell to carry her away from her troubles, she closed her eyes in pleasure. Opening them back up, she found a note beside a plate on the counter.

"_I'm sorry I woke you," _it said. "_I hope the breakfast is enough for you to forgive me."_

Jackie smiled softly and placed the note back on the counter. She quickly shoveled the food from the pan onto her plate and sat on the stool on the other side of the counter. She quickly realized that the sound that had awoken her was Eric closing the door, but she knew he'd be far gone by now. There was a slight disappointment at not seeing him when she woke up, but she understood why he left without saying goodbye. Jumping off her stool and going to the fridge, she pulled out the orange juice to accompany the best breakfast she had had in ages.

-

It being Saturday, both of the elder Forman's had taken the opportunity to sleep in, but once it hit ten o'clock Kitty was up in the kitchen baking. As Red came in for breakfast, she instructed him to wake up Eric.

Red left the room but returned a second later and said, "He's not in his room."

"Then where is he?" Kitty asked with a puzzled look. She quickly went around the rest of the house, but was unsuccessful at finding her only son.

As Kitty began to panic, Red said, "He probably got drunk and is sleeping it off downstairs."

"Oh, downstairs!" she exclaimed as she quickly hurried towards the stairs. "Check outside," she hollered back at her husband a second later.

Red threw his newspaper down on the table in disgust. He knew his son was likely fine, but he knew Kitty well enough to know that if they didn't find him she would worry even more. Grunting in frustration, he got up and went outside. The day was cool, but the sun was out and its heat was pleasant. Seeing the Vista Cruiser parked in the garage with the hood up, he walked around to find his son elbow deep in oil and grease.

"What are you doing?" he asked, more worried that his son might damage the car than being concerned about his well being.

Eric emerged from under the hood and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his sleeve. He wore an old work shirt and a pair of ragged old blue jeans. "The old girl was making a lot of noise earlier and I found a leak in the manifold."

"Oh?" Red asked with a slight appreciation for his son's admission.

"Yep," Eric replied as he lifted the manifold out to show it to Red. There was a hole not more than an inch in diameter, but it was enough to make the car run ragged and sound like a bitch.

"I can pick up a new one at Price Mart on Monday," said Red as he took the manifold from his son and inspected it more closely.

Eric said, "No need, I went in and picked one up earlier."

Red smiled slightly at his son. A man Eric had become, and being a man meant taking on responsibility. Fixing the Vista Cruiser was his responsibility now and his son didn't seem to let it go unnoticed. "Well, your mother is frantic since she can't find you in the house, so clean up and come in for breakfast. And don't linger, I'll eat your food if you're not there in two minutes."

Grinning at his father's threat, he wiped his hands clean and went into the house, finding his mother to reassure her he was around and alright. As he sat down at his place at the table, Hyde came in looking like hell.

"How in the hell are you up?" Hyde asked as he sat down sluggishly. His gaze was directed right at his friend.

"I got enough sleep," Eric commented as a plate of eggs was placed in the middle of the table along with enough sausage and hash browns to feed a family of eight.

Hyde grumbled and took the plate of eggs, putting enough on his plate and then passing it to Kitty. "You've outdone yourself this morning Mrs. Forman," he said, putting a few hash browns on his plate.

"Why thank you Steven." Kitty smiled as she grabbed his head and kissed his cheek. "I think two growing men need a hearty breakfast."

Red grunted at his wife's admission of spoiling them, but kept his mouth shut and began to fill his plate.

Once again Eric found the familiar setting of food on a Saturday morning an invigorating experience. It made him happy for a moment, but not a second later the smell of eggs brought him back to the night before. He hated to have left Jackie alone, but he hadn't fallen back to sleep, and lying in bed with her had been incredibly uncomfortable

He stabbed a forkful of eggs and put them in his mouth, chewing slowly and watching his plate. He could barely hear the voices of the others at the table as he was concentrated solely on the breakfast in front of him. It wasn't until Hyde tapped his fork on his plate did he come back to them. Sometimes he wished people would just leave him alone, but this was his family and knew enough to be civilized. "Yeah?" he asked, looking up.

"You spaced out for a moment there, honey," his mother said.

"It was nothing. I was just enjoying my breakfast." She smiled like usual and he went back to eating. He didn't eat as much as he normally did, especially since he had gained so much weight over the past two years, and he excused himself and got up. At the same moment Sam came into the kitchen dressed in only a pair of hot pants and a small tube top.

"You can have my seat, Sam," he said as he made for the sliding door again.

Red quickly said, "Steven, tell your wife that if she wishes to eat breakfast with us, that she must dress more appropriately!"

Eric laughed as he closed the door behind him and went back around to the car. He unwrapped the new exhaust manifold and inspected it to make sure there were no defects. Satisfied with the piece, he began to wiggle it onto the engine block, using his fingers to hold it while he found a new bolt and tightened it into the threads. The old exhaust manifold bolts had to been broken and heated to get them out. They were rusted to the block and he had to tap the threads to make sure he could get new bolts in.

Having saved himself the agony of trying to get the bolts out by unscrewing them, he quickly put in the rest of the bolts. He tightened them up and eventually set them to their required torque with the torque wrench. Finished, he wiped the grime off the new manifold and removed the remaining exhaust soot and oil from his hands. Pleased at the speedy fix, he slung the rag over his shoulder and grinned. He had never been one for auto work, but knew enough about the basics to accomplish what he needed to. His father might have thought all the things he had tried to teach Eric might have died between his ears, but truth was he had always listened, just never applied it until now.

He closed the hood and started the engine to make sure everything was in order. After finding out it was, he turned it off and slipped the keys into his pocket. It took a few minutes to clean up the mess he made, but soon enough there was no evidence that a dirty job had just been done. Nodding his head in appreciation of himself, he let his mind stray away from what would eventually consume him

-

Jackie heard a knock at the door and she quickly dropped her fork from her hand, the steel utensil ringing out loudly through the apartment. She quickly darted from her chair and to the sofa, not bothering to remove the sheets as she stuffed the bed back in. Still in her pajamas, she finally peeked into the hole in the door and sighed. She opened it and said, "Hi Donna."

"Hey Jackie," the large redhead said, stepping into the small apartment. Looking her friend over, she soon realized that Jackie didn't have any makeup on. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked suddenly.

Jackie frowned at her friend as she cleaned up her plate and stuck it into the sink. "I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"Well, you weren't at the party last night and I was hoping that you weren't sick or anything. We called you a few times but you didn't answer."

"Oh, sorry about that," she answered, smiling sheepishly. "I was incredibly tired and I know I'd only bring the party down if I went. Plus, I don't think I would have been able to hold myself upright. I was completely exhausted."

"Okay," Donna let out with a frown.

Jackie knew that expression and it signaled that her tall friend didn't believe her, and the truth was she was lying through her teeth. She had gone to the Forman's, but not until after everyone had left. No one but Eric needed to know that, and especially no one needed to know that he had spent the night at her apartment. They hadn't done anything that would incriminate them among their friends, but the gang would no less make endless accusations.

"If I had known you were coming over, Donna, I would have made some breakfast for you."

Donna almost jumped out of her skin at what Jackie said. She couldn't believe her ears; did her often overly abrasive friend just apologize for not making enough breakfast? "Are you sure you're alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Jackie said with a hint of annoyance as she disappeared into her bedroom for a moment. She came back into the kitchen with her towel draped over her shoulder. "Are we heading somewhere?" she asked, stopping before the bathroom door.

"Don't you remember?" Donna asked.

"Remember what?"

"We're going mini-golfing this afternoon."

"Oh," Jackie exclaimed as if suddenly remembering. In truth, she didn't remember it, but she played along anyways. "Just give me a few moments to shower and we can head out."

Donna watched in mute astonishment as the door closed. Jackie seemed completely off tilt, first forgetting about mini-golf and then telling her that she needed a moment to shower. Her brunette friend usually took more than half an hour to shower. Shaking her head in confusion, she went to the couch and sat down, missing the sheets peeking out from under the seat cushions.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Eric waited in the parking lot, Hyde and Kelso with him as he had his arms crossed. They were waiting for Donna and Jackie so that they could commence in a guilty pleasure they all shared. Mini Golf. It was a simple game, one of the more sociable ones they had all taken up as teenagers. They didn't play to win; instead they would often sneak in a cooler filled with beer and hit the ball too hard. He pointed out to the others that Randy and the girls were coming, and a few seconds later Kelso was trying to look inconspicuous as he hid a cooler behind his back.

They each got their own putter and ball. The rest of them made fun of Hyde when he got a pink one, but Donna traded her yellow for his when he refused to play. It brought a crude smile from Eric's lips, but he refused to partake in making fun. Jackie was quite quiet as well, but that made sense and he had expected it.

As the others were heading to the first hole, Jackie dropped back to where Eric sat on a post twirling his putter on his right shoulder. "Thanks for breakfast," she said softly so that the others couldn't hear her.

"You're welcome," he answered back dryly. "I didn't know how much bacon you eat, but I was pretty sure than you liked your eggs over easy."

"How do you know that?"

Eric grinned sheepishly and got up off the post. Walking with her towards the others he said, "You've ate breakfast at my place enough times that I could remember."

Her eyebrows rose slightly, but she decided not to question it. It was more than likely true. She had spent the odd night at the Forman's and had eaten breakfast their in the morning.

"You two coming?" Kelso hollered from the first hole.

"We're coming!" Jackie shouted back as Michael began to open a beer.

"What are you doing you idiot," Hyde said suddenly, ripping the can out of Kelso's hand. He shook the can at his larger friend and said, "We're not allowed to have this here. So we open it up when we're farthest away from the hut. Don't you remember that the sixth hole has a big tree and a water fountain that we use as cover?"

"Sorry," Kelso said with a sour note. He quickly put the beer away and rolled his eyes. Randy and Donna were laughing at him, and he looked at them funny, but only caused them to laugh harder.

The sight caused Eric to chuckle softly, but not to partake in the now uproarious laughter from his former girlfriend and her new boyfriend.

"I've been meaning to ask you, Eric," Jackie said. "Did you get back to sleep last night?"

He simply shook his head and watched as Hyde hit a ball around a corner, almost putting it in the hole. His friend cursed a second later and waited while Randy went next. Eric began to pay no attention to the others around him as he juggled his putter back in forth in his hands. Playing mini golf with his friends should have been something that would make him happy, yet he couldn't help feel that it was childish. "I guess some of the simplest things aren't as pleasurable as they used to be," he muttered softly under his breath.

"What?" Jackie asked, having sworn she heard him say something.

"Nothing," he replied, then said, "It's your turn," and pointed to the hole with his putter.

"Oh!" Jackie exclaimed suddenly and almost half ran to set her ball on the artificial turf.

Eric smiled to himself as he watched her. She may have been a different woman since he had spoken to her, but there was still a youthful exuberance to her that he envied. He had lost that part of himself so long ago that he couldn't remember what it felt like. Like usual it had been replaced with mental anguish. When her ball skipped by the hole and knocked Hyde's into the corner, a curse rose up and the others laughed at his misfortune.

Finally his turn, Eric walked up silently and placed his ball on the turf. He took a step back and took a visual at the surface and judged where he'd have to hit the ball off the concrete to get it into the hole. He had watched everyone hit the ball in the wrong spot and miss, but he stepped up and hit the ball gently. Having noticed that the others had hit theirs too hard, he had tapped it only slightly and now the small downgrade was carrying it right at the hole after bouncing off the perfect spot on the concrete siding. A small cheer rose up around him as the ball fell into the cup.

They really didn't count winners or losers, but whoever had the highest score had to pay for the beer. Eric was already off to a good start, and hew knew it would only get harder until they were done, but he was confident enough that he wouldn't come in last. They had been playing the same eighteen holes for six years and they never changed.

On they played, Eric easily trouncing the rest of them until they got to the sixth hole and the beer was brought out. From that point on no one kept score. He even found himself enjoying himself by the time they had moved onto the back nine. The odd joke had him laughing and more than a few times he had cracked his own. It was strange how much being around friends really did affect him, but he wasn't overly surprised. Coming home was something he knew he had to do, and being around his friends was a part of what he needed, but deep down he felt like being alone. It was unnerving that he was close to the same old Eric around his friends, especially when he had been such a brooding Mongol for almost a year.

As they were about to hit the tenth hole, their scorecards now lying in the trash back on the eighth, Kelso said, "Forman, how were the women down in Africa?"

Leaning up against a fence, Eric lifted his eyes to meet Kelso's. "What do you mean?" he asked. When Kelso looked at him like he was an idiot, he chuckled slightly and said, "The women are much the same as they are here."

"You mean you didn't see any walking around naked?"

"I spent most of my time in South Africa, where they're as civilized as you or I."

"I thought people were black in Africa?" Kelso stated, taking another large guzzle from his beer can.

Eric had decided not to drink, knowing that should he start early it was likely that he would be heading for a bar in the afternoon. He had never held his alcohol well and he knew his pain would cause him to drink more than he should. It was best to never start. "People in South Africa are from British decent, they're mostly white."

"But weren't you teaching in some poor village at one point."

"At one point," Eric replied.

Jackie watched as Eric's eyes slowly went back to he ground and his shoulders slumped a little. Michael quickly shrugged his shoulders and went back to the game, but she continued to watch Eric. Again she felt the need to go over and be near him, but Donna tapped her shoulder to tell her it was her turn to putt. She had to be dragged to the turf to hit as she couldn't help but look at Eric.

Eric watched the ground, and when he finally lifted his head to notice that no one was watching, he slunk out of view with his putter held in his right hand. He felt like striking something with it, but he restrained himself as he found his way back to the entrance and the small hut that sold the putters and balls. He gave them back and found a seat on a picnic table. The late morning was cool, but the sun's UV was high and he knew he'd likely burn should he spend too much time outside. Sighing, he stood up and went to the snack counter, ordering a cone of ice cream. He quickly paid the teen at the counter and went back to the picnic table.

He sat there for a few minutes, simply watching all the smiling happy children get their putters and balls as their parents chastised them about watching where they swung their clubs. As he continued to watch he realized that he missed the innocence of high school.

"Eric?" Jackie asked, finding him sitting at a picnic table with an ice cream cone in hand.

He pulled out a dollar and handed it to her. "My treat," he said.

"Thanks," she said wearily, watching him the whole time as she went over to the snack counter. After receiving her cone, she walked back to the picnic table. Eric's eyes were focused on something in the distance and she said, "What happened back there?"

He ignored her. "Do you ever wish that you were still as innocent as you were in high school?"

She let his ignorance slide, knowing that he was somewhere else at the moment. Sitting down beside him and putting her left leg over her right, she said. "I wish everyday was like that." She was wearing a pair of tight jeans and shin high boots with an oversized belt. Only a yellow chemise covered her top half as her hair was well past her shoulders and again flipped out slightly on the ends. She took a lick of her cone and continued. "But you best of all know that it'll never be like that again."

"I know," Eric replied, sitting up straight and licking his cone. "The memories will have to be enough I guess."

"What happened back there?" Jackie asked again, hoping that he was listening this time.

Shrugging, he said, "I realized that I don't like mini golf."

"Are you sure it was that or was it what Michael said?"

"It wasn't what Kelso said."

She didn't know whether or not to believe him, but she let it go and continued to lick her ice cream cone.

"Did the others wonder where I went?" he asked suddenly.

Jackie shook her head. "They didn't notice until I said something. They're busy drinking and putting so I told them I'd look for you."

"How'd they take that?" he asked with a small grin.

She laughed. "They looked like they had lost their lunch."

Eric let out a hearty chuckle and licked his cone again. "You're going to have Donna all over you for the next little while."

"I know, and I've already seen it happening. When she came by to pick me up this morning I swear she looked almost sick when I told her I needed to step into the shower for a moment. I usually take my sweet time."

"But how long were you actually in there for?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jackie smiled and said, "Thirty minutes."

"Well," he said, "that's not too long."

"No, but it's enough that she will start asking questions."

"Then you'll have to learn to start stretching the truth."

"Wouldn't it be easier to lie?" she asked with a smile.

"Whatever makes you sleep easier at night," he replied, turning the cone in his fingers.

She laughed lightly and licked her cone again.

"You have some ice cream on your nose," Eric said as he threw a napkin at her. Her eyes went wide as she caught the tissue. "It's not cocaine you know, you don't snort ice cream."

"Are you implying that I snort cocaine?" she asked with a heavily lethargic and sarcastic voice.

"I don't know, have you?" he challenged, wiggling his eyebrows up and down suddenly. He smiled as she laughed out loudly, a sound so beautiful, yet so alien. When she quieted down he said, "Do you know that you laugh different now?"

"I do not," she admonished, playfully slapping his forearm.

"You do," he stated. "It used to sound forced, but what I just heard came from your gut."

Jackie rolled her eyes and licked her ice cream. "As long as I don't sound like a cackling witch then I'm fine with it."

He grinned and said, "It's a good laugh."

"That's a relief," she said through a small giggle. She could see him smiling, and she knew it was her presence that had him feeling better. Being there for him didn't mean sharing his pain; it mainly meant being there to brighten his day, for every one seemed cloudy for him.

"Thank you," he said abruptly.

"You're welcome," she replied, knowing full well what he meant. As he took another lick, she knocked the bottom of his cone and sent it into his nose. A second later Eric let his hands fall away as the cone stuck to his face. Jackie watched in wonder as he looked right at her.

"What in the world," he asked in shock.

"I'm not sorry," she said with a stifled laugh.

"I can see that," he replied, still glaring at her in surprise.

She couldn't help but laugh again as the cone fell from his face slowly, the ice cream leaving a mark on his mouth and chin. Having been so focused on his face and the ice cream that littered it, she hadn't noticed until it was too late that he had crushed her ice cream cone with his bare hand. The ice cream began to run onto her pants and she almost gasped, but the cold caused her to jump up off the picnic table and fling her hands out to try and remove the melting ice cream instead. She could hear Eric laughing loudly in the background, his voice mocking her as she ran over to the snack counter and grabbed more napkins. "Ew, ew, ew," she said over and over again as she wiped the sticky ice cream off her hands.

Once most of it was off, she could feel the napkin stick to her skin and she said, "I'm sticky," as if she was going to die.

"You'll live," Eric said grinning as he walked over and cleaned his hands and face. He nodded to the kid behind the counter and said, "You wouldn't happen to a have a wet cloth back there would you." The kid nodded and a second later handed him one. He quickly wiped his face clean and his hands, eventually laughing as he watched Jackie trying desperately to remove the stickiness from her hands. It was futile though, and her hands kept sticking to one another.

"Here," he said with a laugh and reached out to take her hand. He quickly wiped it clean and then allowed her to clean the other.

"That was sneaky, Eric Forman," Jackie said as she wiped in-between her fingers to make sure it was all gone. Sticky fingers were the most disgusting thing she had ever felt. It made her feel dirtier than she had ever been.

"Retribution isn't fun if you're on the receiving end is it?"

She crinkled her nose at him and finished washing her hands. Handing the wet cloth back to the kid behind the counter she walked away from Eric and said. "All I did was push your ice cream cone into your face."

"Have you ever had ice cream up your nose?" he asked as he blew his nose into another napkin. He blew harder and said, "It's not like shooting milk out your nose, it hurts going the other way."

"Well, I'm not sorry," she said again as she turned and faced him, hands on her hips.

He walked purposely towards her and said, "You've made that clear already."

Noticing how he was walking towards her, she frowned. "Why are you walking at me like that? Eric, I don't like the look in your eyes. Eric, stop, Eric!" when he didn't stop, she fled, running like a scared little girl. She was certain he wouldn't do anything to her, he was Eric Forman after all, but the look in his eyes had been rather frightening.

Eric laughed mightily and sat down on the other side of the picnic table, watching Jackie disappear around a bush. He sat patiently until he saw her peek around the very same bush and stare at him incredulously. He waved a little to let her know he could see her, and she rolled her eyes and came walking back.

Closing the distance between them, Jackie straightened her hair. "Why in the world did you come at me like that? I was scared to death!"

"How do you feel?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" she asked coming to a halt. "What do you mean how do I feel?"

Eric closed an eye and scrutinized her. "It means exactly what I asked. How do you feel?"

"Scared and a little out of breath," she finally replied.

"What else?" he asked quickly, interlacing his finger in-between his knees as he had his neck craned up to look at her.

Jackie thought about it for a second then smiled. "I feel as if, for a moment, that I was a kid again."

Seeing that she understood his reasoning for the question, he said, "Good."

"But I was the one that started it," she stated.

"Yes, but I was the one that continued it. The more you get to know me the more you'll see that I don't retaliate often, but I was intrigued as to why you did what you did and couldn't help but push it a little farther."

Jackie shrugged and went to sit beside him again. She frowned down at the dark spot on her jeans where the ice cream had melted. "I don't know why I did it; maybe I just wanted to see you with ice cream on your face."

"Am I that ugly that you have to cover it up?" he asked with a large grin.

"More than you could ever know," she replied with sarcasm dripping so thick she thought she might drool.

"That's what I thought," he replied, still grinning. He rubbed his chin. "Maybe it's time to grow a beard to cover up the ugliness. What do you think Jackie?" he asked as he tilted his chin up so that she could get a good look at his jaw and neck.

Giggling a little, she shook her head. "You're father would put his foot up your ass if he saw you with facial hair. Not to mention he'll call you a hippie and likely tell you to shave or move out."

Eric laughed with her and nodded in agreement. "I think he'd just be jealous because he doesn't have any left on his head."

"Sure," Jackie drew out with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey, Hyde gets away with sideburns, I could grow my own."

"Steven has curly hair and would look strange without those muttons on the side of his face. You, you would look ridiculous, believe me."

He raised his eyebrows high. "Ridiculous! And this is coming from a woman who wouldn't be caught dead without lip gloss on? You give ridiculous a whole knew meaning."

"Hey," she said, nudging his shoulder with hers, "you said it yourself, I'm not that person anymore."

"I did say that didn't I?" He rubbed his chin and appeared to be in deep thought. "Do you think I should rescind that previous comment? I'm beginning to think you are that shallow insecure little girl."

"Shut up," she said, laughing and then slugging him in the shoulder for retribution.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied sarcastically as he noticed the rest of the gang getting to the eighteenth hole.

Together they watched Kelso get put into a headlock under Hyde's arm, and the curly haired man said, "Say uncle! Say uncle!"

"Uncle!" Kelso cried out, and when Hyde let go of him he jumped the shorter man and tackled him to the ground. Donna and Randy stood back and watched, laughing uproariously and poking them with the end of their putters every couple of seconds.

Eric smiled, but cringed when he heard Kelso scream in pain. An errant putter had found the exactly the wrong spot and he was down on the ground writhing in pain and clutching his crotch.

"Ouch," Hyde exclaimed, getting off the grass and watching his friend moan in pain.

Donna said, "Oops."

Jackie hid her face behind Eric's shoulder as she couldn't bear to look at Michael moaning on the ground. Hearing the groaning was enough to make her sick to her stomach.

Randy quickly snatched the putter from Donna and said, "I think we're done."

"Uh huh," Donna echoed as she went over to help console Kelso and say she was sorry.

Eric felt Jackie remove her head from behind his shoulder, but she left a hand on his back. He didn't think anything of it as Hyde came walking up to them.

"Where the hell did you go, Forman?" he asked, slipping past them and handing his putter over to the man in the hut.

"The ball?" the young man asked, holding out his hand.

Hyde squinted for a second but eventually snorted and took it out of his pocket. He handed the yellow ball over with a sneer and turned around.

"I had to go to the bathroom," Eric said as he watched Hyde scrutinize him. If his friend wasn't satisfied with his answer, he showed nothing to indicate it as he stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Got the runs huh?" he asked Eric.

"Not exactly," Eric replied as he heard Jackie make a noise of disgust.

Hyde grinned and said, "Good, because if you did I wouldn't ride home in the car with you."

"Then I guess you'd walk," Jackie interrupted.

"No, I'd get Randy to give me a ride." He shrugged and laughed as Kelso stood on wobbly legs with the help of Donna and Randy.

"Why didn't Sam come?" Jackie asked.

"She was still asleep when we left and I didn't want to wake her," Hyde replied.

Eric said, "She sure sleeps a lot."

"You put on three inch heels every night for eight hours," Jackie stated, "then we'll see how much you sleep."

Hyde almost did a double take as his former girlfriend came to the defense of his wife. "What the hell, Jackie!" he said with wide eyes, almost shocked enough to remove his glasses.

"What?" Jackie asked, genuinely confused at why he was yelling at her.

"What's going on?" Donna asked, letting Kelso lean on her shoulder and Randy take their equipment back to the hut.

"Hyde's confused as to why Jackie just came to the defense of his wife," Eric said without cause for concern.

"What!" Donna asked, almost a shocked as Hyde. "Are you okay Jackie?"

Jackie shrugged and said, "Why, should I not be?"

Still trying to understand it all, Hyde shook his head. "Well, for starters, what you said is so unlike you to say about anyone, and secondly it was about Sam, the woman who you call a slut behind her back when she and I aren't around."

"You know about that?" Jackie asked. When he nodded, she said, "I'm sorry about that."

Donna almost dropped to her knees, but managed to stay upright. The same couldn't be said for Kelso, who had fallen from Donna's shoulder and onto the ground as the tall redhead had moved abruptly. "I think I'm going to faint," she said a second later. "Make room for me down there, Kelso."

Kelso groaned in response and got to his knees, eventually working himself up onto the picnic table to sit beside Eric. "Please don't drop me like that again," he said as he gripped his stomach. "I feel like I'm going to hurl."

"Who's going to hurl?" Randy asked as he walked back over.

"Me!" Kelso said in a panted wheeze.

Everyone shot back a few feet, except Eric and Jackie.

"You'll be fine," Eric said as he patted his friends back. "In about a minute the sickening feeling in your stomach will pass. Just watch how you sit for a few days. They're going to be very tender for a while."

"Thanks for the advice," Kelso said with heavy mock, finally sitting up straight as the pain in his stomach began to pass. "Okay, I'm not going to hurl." The others around him didn't step any closer. He had a tendency to play crude jokes.

Eric nodded and said, "And watch how you walk, long strides will bring you to your knees, so don't go running anywhere." He smiled, knowing that his friend would be doing exactly that. Kelso had a child who was walking after all. Betsy was bound to play with her father. "You sure hit him hard," he said, looking over at Donna.

"I didn't mean to," she replied apologetically, still wincing every time Kelso did.

"Intentions are only regrettable once they've been carried out," Eric said.

"Don't go scolding me like a child," Donna shot back with a heated glare.

Eric said, "I didn't in any way mean to upset you, I was just stating the obvious."

"Well maybe you should keep your obvious witticisms to yourself." She thought Eric might cringe at her tone, but he simply stared at her and let it slide off him without a hint that he was upset.

"Will do," he replied as looked back to Kelso, who was finally standing up and moving around under his own power.

"How did you know the pain would pass?" Kelso asked. "I could have sworn I was dying."

Eric laughed and said, "I was mistaken for a local drunk in a club in Africa and found a two inch heel thrust into my giggle berries. Let's just say that you were lucky. I vomited for ten minutes and almost passed out from dehydration."

"That sounds horrible," Jackie said as she shivered slightly. "I couldn't imagine a pain like that."

Eric got up off the picnic table and headed for the Vista Cruiser. "Sure," he threw back over his shoulder, "it hurt like hell, but I'd gladly take a random kick in the crotch over never having it touched at all." As he found his way to the car he couldn't help but hear the laughter behind him. It caused him to smile briefly as he slipped the key into the door and unlocked it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Well, I checked my email for the first time in months and realized that I forgot to continue posting to this story. Like I said in the very first chapter at the top of the page, there are more than twenty chapters that have already been written. Problem was that I got so busy with work I forgot to update. I apologize, and I promise to post new chapters regularly. Normally it wouldn't be a problem if I was still writing the story, but I haven't touched it in months. There are still many chapters to be posted until I have to start writing again.** **I hope you enjoy, and once again I am sorry.**

**More reviews also means speedier updates. This way my interest doesn't wane. **

Chapter 9

Eric watched from the corner table as his friends sat around him and talked amongst themselves. They were in the Hub, but it was the weekend and they were the only ones there. The place was the convenient hangout for high schools kids, he being one among the many, years ago, but now since it was the weekend the kids were more likely to be found hunting around for someone to buy them alcohol. As the conversation continued to carry on around him, Sam having joined them for lunch, he noticed that Jackie was in fact as silent as him. He looked at her and when she caught him staring, she smiled warmly. It turned into a sheepish grin in a matter of seconds. He nodded, grinning back slightly.

He had chosen the same food he always had when at the Hub, a hot dog and fries accompanied with a large cola. There was little difference in his appetite as he grew up. Some of the things he had eaten in Africa really made him appreciate the cuisine of home. Hot dogs couldn't technically be considered cuisine, but compared to fried grasshoppers, they were a delicacy.

Kelso checked his watch and quickly vaulted from his chair. "Got to go," he stated, "Fatherly duty calls!" He continued to stand their and waited patiently for Hyde. Finally at the end of his patience, he said, "Come on Hyde, I need a ride and you said you would."

"I don't have my car with me," Hyde said with a grin.

"Here, take the Cruiser," Eric said, tossing the keys to Hyde and grinning smugly. "I'll walk home."

"Bastard," he replied as he could hear Eric laughing in the background. He left with Sam and Kelso, almost wishing he could burn his friend for making him get out of his seat.

Donna and Randy stood up suddenly. "I think its best we get going," Randy said. "My mother is expecting us to visit her in the hospital this afternoon."

"I didn't know," Eric said thoughtfully. "I'm sorry."

"Nah, she's just in to get her appendix out, but she's still nervous."

"Surgery is never easy,"

"No it isn't," Randy replied with a sigh.

"Are you ready to go Jackie?" Donna asked as she straightened out her shirt.

"Wha?" Jackie asked through a mouthful of food. She swallowed hard and said, "I'm not done eating yet."

Eric put the problem to rest. "I'll walk Jackie back to my house and then we can all meet up later." He watched as Randy and Donna shared an awkward glance, but they quickly relented.

"Fine, we'll drop by some time after supper then," Donna stated, Randy nodding in agreement.

Saying goodbye for now, Eric watched them leave the Hub. "Have you noticed that everyone has somewhere to be?"

Jackie looked up from her plate and quickly swallowed her food. "Except us," she replied, as if ending his thought.

"Exactly."

"Then why does it feel like I should be going somewhere, yet I don't know where it is?"

Eric nodded and said, "It's often like that. It happened when I was in Africa. I knew I had to go somewhere, but it took me weeks to realize it was home. It had been my first guess when I felt that need come, but I had to be sure."

"I'd sort of like to know where I'm supposed to go," she said, then taking a small sip from her drink.

He felt for her. Her words were filled with the emptiness he also felt. "Just have patience and it will all be revealed in time."

"How can you be so sure of what you say when you haven't found what you're looking for?" She was staring right at him when his eyes suddenly narrowed.

"I don't know," he replied, frowning a second later. "This is all new to me as well, but I've had a year behind me and I understand what it is like to start out. I'm blind to what's going to happen in the future, like everyone else, so I guess you don't really have to listen to me. I could be spouting out nonsense over here."

"I don't think its nonsense," Jackie said quickly to reassure him. "It's only nonsense if you didn't know. Since you've already gone through what I'm going through I think I'll listen to you a little longer yet."

"I'm liable to turn you into a brooding maniac with a mean streak and a strange relationship with alcohol."

Jackie stopped eating as she heard him say something about a mean streak. "What do you mean by a mean streak?"

He quickly got her up to speed on some of the seedier things he had done, including the fight that had almost got another man killed.

"Well, he didn't die," she said, trying to reassure him as she saw the lost look in his eyes.

"But he could of, Jackie. If I had stayed asleep I would have never found him unconscious on the cell floor."

She didn't know how to answer him and she resigned to eat the rest of her food. It took a few minutes to finish, her eyes flashing up to look at Eric across the table as he stared at his plate. Even though she was going through something similar to what he was, she realized that they were completely different. With Eric by her side to help guide her she felt more confident that she would find herself, but he looked as if he was almost ready to give up. She wanted so badly to understand what was happening to him, but no matter how much he told her, she could never truly pinpoint what was eating him. It seemed as if there were arrows directed at him from all angles and he was unable to escape their shadow.

"It'll be okay," she said suddenly, ripping his attention from the plate.

"What?"

"It will be okay, Eric. I know it will." He smiled pathetically, but she could see past it and knew he was simply doing it for her benefit. She could tell he didn't believe a word of it. "Come on, let's get out of here," she said as she crumpled her napkin and tossed it into the middle of the table. When he nodded, she walked out of the Hub with him, taking his hand in hers gently. It was nothing more than a friendly gesture.

-

"You're doing an awful lot of baking, Kitty," Red said as he sat at the kitchen table with a sandwich on his plate.

"It's not everyday your son returns from a long absence," she replied with a cheerful tone.

Red nodded as he took a bite and chewed slowly. It was great to see her back to her old self, but it surprised him how much Eric's presence had lifted her spirits.

Kitty finished putting batter onto a pan and slipped it into the oven. "What was Eric doing outside this morning?"

"The manifold on the Vista Cruiser had a leak."

"Eric fixed it?" Kitty asked with a bewildered look.

He nodded and took another bite.

"When did he learn to fix a car?"

Red shrugged and said, "Beats me, but at least he's not useless."

Kitty ignored her husband's remark like she always did and set the oven timer. Looking at the clock she suddenly jumped up and went to the living room door and said, "Eric should be back any minute."

-

Eric opened the basement door and let Jackie in, her hand finally letting go of his. He didn't bother asking her why she had grabbed his palm in hers, but he was a least happy with the contact. It had been a long time since someone had simply held his hand. Closing the door a second later, he turned to head to the couch but bumped into Jackie, who was standing right in front of him, staring forcefully. "What?" he asked.

"I think it's time you really tell me what's hurting you," she said.

"I've already told you," he replied as he shrugged past her and turned on the television.

Jackie refused to believe that and sat down on the couch beside him. She was tired of looking at him and feeling as if she was dealing with a lost cause. "Do you want to end up like your dad or Steven?" she asked. When he said nothing in response, only his eyes hardening slightly, she said, "You've told me why you act like you do, but you've never told me what the pain is like." When he continued his mute ways, she turned herself to him with one leg tucked under her body. "If you would only share what you're feeling, I could help you." It was the least she could do after all he had done to help her.

"I told you this morning that it's something I have to deal with on my own." He said it without glancing away from the TV.

"What if you didn't have to go through it alone, what if I could take some of that burden off your shoulders?"

"I'll not allow you to take on more at this point, Jackie. You've just started and what I burden myself with is not something you could handle."

"How could you possibly know that?"

He sighed heavily and calmed himself, trying his best not to let his anger rise. Wishing that she would just leave him alone, he put his right elbow on the side of the couch and rested his cheek on his fist. _Please just leave me alone_, he prayed silently to himself. But he knew it would go unanswered.

"See, you don't know that, but you're too stubborn and too damned nice to want to have to concern me with it. You may be a changed man Eric, but in some respects you are who you have always been. You're still Eric Forman." As his nostril twitched, she did the only thing she could think of and gripped his left hand with hers. "When was the last time you actually had any human contact?"

Eric struggled to wrench his hand from hers, but she had a reserve of strength he found incredibly resilient for one of her small stature.

"I'm not letting go," she said with authority, putting her other hand on top to make sure she could hold it firmly enough so he couldn't break away. "Now tell me, when was the last time you held hands with anyone? Was it Donna?" She watched him, and almost leapt out of the couch as a tear fell down his cheek and deposited itself in his shirt. She felt the struggle in her hands give way, his own going limp and cold. "What is it?" she asked softly.

He tried to speak, but that barrier of not burdening her gripped him suddenly. She didn't have to deal with what he was. Maybe it would have been better not to have spoken to her at all, he thought.

As another tear fell down his cheek, she could see the inner battle that was raging in him. His eyes clearly showed the battle as they twitched left and right, bugging in and out once in a while. Yet another tear fell and she finally realized something. "It was her, wasn't it, the little girl? She was the last person you touched and felt." When he nodded slowly, she gripped his hand and said, "Feel me, Eric. I'm right here."

"But you'll die too," he managed with a hoarse whisper.

Jackie shook her head at her stupidity. It wasn't the pain of watching those children die in his dreams that were hurting him; it was the idea of losing everyone around him that had him scared. "No one's leaving you."

"Yes they will," he replied as he barely felt her hand in his.

"No they won't Eric. I won't leave you, no one will."

"You say that now, but I know in time I will drive everyone away. Sometimes I think it would be best that way. No one should have to deal with a person like me"

She removed her right hand from her other and his, and cupped his chin with her index finger and thumb. Turning his head to her, his eyes lost and scared, she said, "You will lose everyone if you don't let us in."

"I don't want to let them in," he replied, choking on a sob. He wondered suddenly if his parents could hear him crying.

"Then just let me in."

"No, I can't," he said weakly.

"Yes you can," she replied, inching closer him, her nose almost touching his. "You can let me in and you know it."

"No," he replied as he shook softly, his fingers feeling like ice. The only thing that kept him from shivering openly was Jackie's warm finger on his chin and her palm in his.

"You can," she said again even more softly, finally closing the distance between their lips and breathing on his. Not giving him a chance to back away, she kissed him lightly, but pulled back suddenly and said it once again. "You can."

Eric closed his eyes as he let the smell of her hair fill his nostrils and wrap him around her finger. She smelt so good. Instead of answering her verbally, he finally allowed that barrier to crumble away and he kissed her this time, softly pushing his lips up against hers. They didn't move their lips, but instead stayed still a moment until he convinced himself that what he was doing was appropriate. He almost laughed at himself for thinking about morality at that particulate moment, but he only smiled instead.

Jackie had her eyes closed, but could feel his lips turn up against hers and she smiled in return. Her eyes began to water suddenly as she realized he had let her in. Slowly she removed her fingers from his chin and put her hand on the back of his neck, quickly drawing his lips harder into her own.

"Surprise!"

Eric's eyes opened instantly, Jackie's doing likewise not a split second later. It took him a moment to pin point the voice as he fought his way through the haze of the moment. He wanted to strangle whoever had caused them to break their kiss, but on the other hand he knew he was either in trouble or both he and Jackie had been seen with their lips together. It had happened so quickly that neither of them had taken the time to think about the other occupants in the house.

"Uh oh," Jackie whispered as she stared at Eric. He didn't seem to want to look over at the person standing above them, and neither did she.

Seeing that Jackie was too frightened to look at the shadow looming over them, he finally looked. As his eyes drew up to stair at the figure, he gulped thinking it was his father. He had been so focused on Jackie that he hadn't listened to the voice closely enough to know who it was. But when his eyes found the intended target, they grew enormously large, almost the same size as the man standing beside them by the couch. "Fez!" he said in shock.

"Gotta go," Fez said suddenly and darted up the stairs.

Eric watched Fez run, but Jackie tapped his knee and he was soon at the foreigner's heels going up the stairs. Just as Fez was about to break into the kitchen and announce what he had just seen, Eric grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back, putting his hand over his friend's mouth. "I'll take my hand off if you agree to keep your mouth shut. If you don't I'll cover it back up and drag you back downstairs, got it?" He didn't mean it to sound so menacing, but he wasn't in the mood to laugh. When Fez nodded his head, Eric slowly took his hand off.

"I could scream and your mother would come," Fez said softly.

"Wrong," Eric said with a hint of laughter in his voice. He quickly placed his hand over Fez's mouth again and dragged the man back down the stairs. Fez struggled mightily in his grip and tried to remove his hand, but he held strong until they got to the basement floor and he released him.

Fez pushed away from Eric and said, "What the hell is going on?"

Eric looked back to Jackie, who was still sitting on the couch, but was looking right back at him. "I'm not sure myself," he answered finally.

"I came home to surprise you but I find you making out with Jackie," Fez said as he looked between the two of them every couple of seconds.

"And it's good to see you Fez, and I have a few questions myself, but how about you ask yours first."

"Thanks," Fez said as he straightened his collar. "First, how did you get so strong?"

"I worked out," Eric replied.

"Secondly, what the hell was going on here?"

His friend's voice was so loud he thought he might have to silence him again, but Eric put his finger to his lips and said, "Just keep it down and we'll explain it the best we can."

"Okay," Fez replied wearily, looking at him with a penetrating eye. Almost leaning on the football helmet on the stereo speaker, he relaxed as much as he could and said, "Please tell me why the last two people I would ever expect in the world to kiss are kissing in the basement."

"We're drunk?" Eric asked, looking over at Jackie.

"Yeah, drunk," she echoed as she stood up and walked towards them, feigning a stumble.

"I don't think so," Fez said as he looked at the two of them standing in front of him. "I can understand if you two are just feeling lonely. You've been gone for a long time Eric, but did it have to be Jackie?"

"What do you mean by that?" Eric asked as he straightened and glared at his friend.

Fez took a step back and said, "Nothing, nothing, I just thought, well never mind."

"No, speak," Jackie urged.

He tried to hold it in, but he gave in. Jackie's curious look and Eric's furrowed brows had scared him into submission. "It's just that you two hate each other."

"What gave you that idea?" Eric asked.

Jackie watched as Fez frowned deeply. "Okay, that may have been the past Fez, but that's not how it is anymore." When he continued to look at her dubiously, she said, "Just listen to us, we're being honest with you."

"Okay, but can you tell me why you don't hate each other anymore?"

"That," Eric answered, "is none of your business. That's between Jackie and I. If we decide to someday let people know why what you saw occurred, you'll be the first to know."

Fez was about to argue, but the look in Eric's eyes told him he should accept it and leave it alone. Never one to step across the line, but always one to skirt the edges, he grinned suddenly. "So was this your first kiss?" When both Jackie and Eric looked at one another with admiration, he lost his grin and said, "And the last, right?" He didn't have any right to impede on what they wanted to do, but he was hopeful none the less.

"Yes," Eric said quickly. "Can we trust you to keep this to yourself?" he asked a second later.

Fez could have sworn Jackie wilted when Eric said what he was hoping to hear, but he ignored it and said, "You can trust me." He quickly changed the subject as things were becoming uncomfortable. "Now I'm dying to hear all about your time in Africa."

Eric nodded. "Only if you tell me what you've been up to while I was away." When fez grinned again, he followed suit.

"Okay," Fez said excitedly. "Just let me get some pictures out of my suitcase and I'll be back in a flash." He wanted more than anything to learn more about what was happening between his two friends, but he allowed himself to push it aside for the sake of their friendship.

Eric watched as Fez strode up the stairs and disappeared from view. He sighed heavily and leaned up against the wall a second later.

"Was it really our last?" Jackie asked softly.

"Was what our last?" He turned to her. She was staring at the floor and not at him.

"The kiss."

"No, it wasn't," he said smiling at her as she lifted her eyes to finally meet his.

"Really? But didn't you just-," He cut her off suddenly by lifting her off her feet and placing her on top of the washing machine.

"I lied," he said, mere inches from her lips.

"Really?" she asked. She had hoped to god he had, but now that he confirmed that he had, she smiled. The last thing she'd hate to have happen was for him to close up shop for good.

"Really," he replied, kissing her softly.

Jackie quickly pushed his face away from hers. "What about Fez?"

"He'll be back in a minute or two."

"Aren't you worried he'll see us again after what you told him?" She looked over his shoulder to make sure Fez wasn't coming down the stairs.

"I've course I'm worried, but I'm not going to let it stop me from kissing you while he's not here."

"Okay," she replied meekly with a soft giggle, the distance between their lips closing again.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Eric barely heard Fez's voice and scrambled out of Jackie's arms as they were inconveniently placed around his neck. Jackie quickly jumped off the washing machine in front of him, straightening her clothes and making sure her hair was once again even. Fez had been upstairs for only a minute, but it was sufficient time for the both of them to become disheveled. He hoped to god that they didn't look guilty, but thankfully by the time their foreign friend was back downstairs, they each looked presentable.

Fez quickly guided him to the couch, making a point of sitting in-between himself and Jackie. He wasn't exactly sure if it was because the man was uncomfortable with what he had seen or if it was simply convenience. Eric looked over at Jackie as the man in the middle began to flip through a pile of pictures in his hands. They had only kissed a couple times, but every time they did he could feel his heart race. It was one thing to simply make out, but when his senses heightened and he could feel butterflies in his stomach, he knew it was more than simple attraction. There were feelings that had begun to surface. He was scared what they might be for he hadn't experienced anything quite like this. Donna and his relationship had progressed more naturally, very slowly in fact. There was no abruptness, no spark at the beginning. He knew it had started out of convenience, especially with her living next door. That feeling had always been there but he had ignored it during those years with her and didn't pay attention to them until he was in Africa.

Jackie smiled at him suddenly, pouting ever so slightly. It had to be one of the sexiest things he had ever seen, but he mustered enough restraint not to say something. With Fez between them he realized it was only one smaller person between him and her. If he wanted to he could tell his friend to beat it so he could be alone with Jackie, but he wasn't an asshole.

Jackie barely found herself paying attention to Fez, her mind fantasizing about the man to her far right. She was scared as hell about was happening between them, especially since Fez had been right. They had hated each other. What they had been doing was something that was more unlikely than herself and Hyde being together. But unlike before with Steven, it didn't feel wrong. If she and Eric were going to pursue anything at all, total secrecy would either be the key or they would have to tell everyone right away. Suspicion ran ramped through small suburbs, and their friends gossiped like little old ladies. Maybe she liked Eric because he was one who never betrayed another's trust?

She could remember when she had cheated on Michael, kissing the cheese guy right as Eric had walked by. No matter how much Eric had tortured her over it, he never actually tattled on her. At that time she had struggled with whether or not the trust among her and Eric was more important than his friendship with Kelso. It seemingly was, which she found incredibly endearing.

"Here I am on my first night," Fez said as he showed both Eric and Jackie the pictures.

Eric coughed forcibly. "You're practically naked."

"I know," Fez replied quickly, "don't I look great?"

Jackie smiled politely and said, "Yes," while Eric was looking away in either disgust or modesty. Either way, he was blushing slightly, causing a smile to creep onto her lips. He was still the same old Eric Forman in some respects.

Fez watched as both Eric and Jackie looked at one another again, seemingly paying little to no attention to him. "That's it!" he said loudly. "I'm not going to sit here and talk to myself all afternoon!"

"What?" Eric asked, his attention ripped away from Jackie.

"I'm leaving. I think I'll go find Hyde and Sam and see if they want to look at my photos."

"No, Fez," Jackie urged as the young man stood up. "We're paying attention."

"No you're not!"

Eric couldn't argue. His friend was right. "We're sorry," he said a second later.

"Okay," Fez said as he lowered his voice, "but I think you two need to sort this out."

"Sort what out?" Jackie asked, looking up at him.

Fez rolled his eyes and almost sneered at their forced clueless expressions. "You two," he said. When they both frowned, he growled in frustration. "I'm leaving, and when I come back I hope you two will have come to an understanding and then I can show you the rest of my photos."

As Fez went for the stairs, Jackie looked over her shoulder and said, "You'll keep what you saw to yourself, right?"

Fez sighed heavily and let his shoulders sag. "I promised you I would."

"We know how you are, Fez," Eric said suddenly. "I suggest that you keep quiet until we've hashed this out."

"Fine, I'll be back later."

Eric watched as Fez disappeared from view, knowing the likelihood of his friend keeping his mouth shut was remote.

"He's going to tell everyone," Jackie said.

He looked at her and smiled weakly. "More than likely."

Jackie smiled back and raised an eyebrow. "Hashed things out?" she asked.

"I couldn't think of anything else," he replied. Silence suddenly set down upon them as they continued to sit on opposite sides of the couch, feet planted on the floor and hands in their lap. "So," he said softly, finally breaking the silence.

Fed up with the growing tension, Jackie asked, "What's going on here? What are we doing? You heard Fez, this is crazy!"

"Is it really?" he asked. When she nodded, he thought about it for a second. She was right of course, it was incredibly crazy, but for some reason it felt right too. "Then why does it feel so-,"

"Right?" she blurted. He nodded and she shrugged. "We're supposed to make each other sick, remember?"

"Right." He sighed heavily and looked at the television. "So what do we do?"

"I don't know," Jackie replied helplessly. "Do you think we should just put a stop to it? It's bound to get out to the public and we would have everyone questioning our sanity every second of the day."

"I don't think my parents will be that upset," Eric said.

"It's not your parents I'm worried about."

"I know," he replied with a sad smile. "Do you think they'd really be that shocked?" Jackie laughed suddenly; it was a majestic and beautiful sound.

"I think they'd do back flips," she said through her laughter.

Eric sighed again as he finally looked over at her. Her eyes eventually met his and he smiled weakly again. The situation felt hopeless. "Well, even as we speak Fez is likely spilling the fact that we kissed, so we might as well tell everyone it was a mistake and we have put this all behind us." When she wilted slightly, he said, "Or, we could take this further and tell no one. We could say that we just wanted to see what it was like since we were both feeling lonely, but then we quickly realized there was no spark."

Jackie snorted a laugh. "No spark my ass!" she said. "My stomach jumps ten feet in the air every time you touch me."

"Same here," he replied.

She smiled and scooted closer to him until her left knee was touching his thigh. Placing her right elbow on the back of the couch, she stared at him and said, "We could tell them that we're both being adults and we've decided to start something."

"But what fun is that?" he asked with a devilish grin.

Slapping him playfully on the arm, she admonished him. "This is not about having fun with our friends; they may get hurt by this."

"They're not children anymore."

"No," Jackie said softly, "but there is a lot of history between me and Kelso, and Hyde."

"All the more reason not to tell them," he said, gently drumming his fingers on her knee as she drew a figure eight on his shoulder.

"But we'll have to tell them eventually, this isn't like when I was with Steven. In their eyes this would be wrong, but…"

"It feels right, doesn't it?" When she nodded shyly, her eyes falling to her lap, he lifted his hand and put it on her cheek, guiding her eyes back up to him. "Then what do we do?"

She put her left hand over his right on her cheek and closed her eyes. His touch was so warm and inviting that all she wanted to do was kiss him. "I don't know. I'm so confused and scared."

"Me too, but didn't we promise we'd help each other?"

"We did, didn't we?" she said rather than asking.

"We did, and I told you I would help you in any way possible."

Jackie smiled slightly at that. "So you're saying we'll only continue this because it would help me?"

Eric shrugged. "If you want to spin it that way you can, but I know why I'm doing it." He gently placed his other hand on her leg and kissed her. He pulled back after a second and said, "This is what I need, Jackie. I need human contact. I won't force you to be that touch, but all I'm saying is that you fill that need."

"You make it sound so cheap," she said with a grin.

"It's anything but."

"I know and I'm just teasing you. Of course I want it to be me. Maybe I need you too."

"Then you'd have your fairytale romance you always wanted."

She nodded slowly and brought her lips to his again, surrendering herself to his touch. Any concern at how quick things had transpired between them was instantly forgotten when she melted into him, her hands going to his cheeks as she tenderly moved her lips on his. They went slow, the moment definitely not one for heated passion.

Eric thought he could hear her crying, but he kept his eyes closed and returned the kiss. Not only did she do that well, but she smelled so good he thought he might get swept away. With Fez gone and only his parents upstairs, obstructed from view, he gently dropped farther into the couch and put his hands on her hips. She responded to him a second later by dropping her pelvis down onto his. He could feel the heat in his pants begin to rise, but decided to focus on her lips to keep himself under control. Finally, with his head on the armrest and his back on the couch, he gathered her into his arms, easily wrapping them around her small body.

Jackie did cry, her tears falling from her cheeks and mingling into her mouth. If he tasted the salt, he didn't show it, but simply continued to kiss her back. She wondered how it was possible that things had started so quickly and how soon she could begin to feel herself falling for him. She was hesitant to call it love, especially since he had only been home a day, but there wasn't really anything else she could call it. The last thing she would do was say she loved him, but the more she felt the butterflies in her stomach, the more she knew it was quite possible that she was in fact in love with him. That simple realization would have crippled her in fear if it was not for Eric's large arms and tender embrace. It felt so natural she could have sworn she was melting.

Still with his eyes closed and his mouth on hers, he gently put a finger under her shirt at the small of her back. When she didn't pull away, he softly slid the rest of his fingers up under, then eventually his hand. Realizing that she wasn't going to stop him, he slid his other hand up under her shirt. With his hands eventually reaching her shoulders, he hardened the kiss. She suddenly gasped hoarsely and he thought he might have done something to hurt her, but when she pulled back from his lips with ecstasy slapped across her face, he realized what had happened.

"Oh, God," she whispered softly, shaking a little as a tiny orgasm rippled through her body. There was a little pressure at the front of her jeans, but she knew it was the touch of his hands that had caused it.

"You like?" he asked smugly. When she opened her eyes, biting her bottom lip seductively and nodding, he grinned and removed one hand from under her shirt. She pouted momentarily, but as soon as his free hand went to the back of her head and onto her scalp, she moaned. He didn't know where her pleasure spots were, but if he had enough time he was going to make sure he found them.

"Don't stop," she almost cried as his hand running through her hair caused her to arch her back and indecently push her pelvis harder into his crotch. She could hear him gasp suddenly, but he didn't stop massaging her head. "Eric," she wheezed as she let herself get completely lost in hands. With one hand on her back and one on her scalp, she could have sworn he had to be a magician to be making her feel this good.

"Shh," he quieted her. "If you keep moaning my parents will hear us."

"I don't care," she replied, her eyes finally back open, but she was having difficulty seeing straight as his hand was moving her head around.

"I think you'd care after we get caught."

"No, I wouldn't." She moaned more softly this time, but the pleasure had increased twofold as he had run his hand down her shirt and slipped it below her pants.

Eric gently cupped her bottom in his hand and noticed how easily it fit into his palm. He thought about reaching down farther and rubbing her from behind, but his parents were upstairs and he had a limit to far he would go, even though the heat was rising and he wanted her more than anything. When goose bumps suddenly popped up on her bottom, he smiled and kissed her again. She had opened her eyes for a moment, but they were closed again.

Jackie fought back another tiny orgasm, knowing that she was a screamer, and it worked. It didn't hit her, but it did slowly dissipate enough to cause her body to go cold momentarily. She could feel her underwear become wet, but she forgot about it as she kissed him again and again. He seemed to be doing all the touching, so she quickly put a hand under his shirt and slid her palm up over his hard stomach. There didn't seem to be and ounce of fat on him as she ran her hand higher and found his left nipple. They were small, un-ordinarily so, but she didn't care. It quickly hardened in her fingers and the pressure on her pants began to grow. It took all the strength she had not to reach down and undo his zipper, but she knew his parents were upstairs.

"Eric!"

They both froze, he with his hand down her pants and her with hers up his shirt. When he realized that his mother wasn't coming down the stairs, only just yelling at him to get his attention, he relaxed and yelled back. "What?"

"Do you want a snack?" his mother yelled.

He laughed softly, Jackie's head slowly falling onto his chest. As it lay there, rising and falling along with his chest, he answered back. "No, I'm good!"

"Okay, honey!"

Jackie laughed on his chest, allowing the heat of the moment slip away. His fingers did likewise out from under her pants, one of his fingernails dragging just enough on her bottom to cause her to jump a little. She kept her hand under his shirt, but only let it lie on his left pectoral.

"Parents!" Eric said with a laugh.

"Parents indeed." She nestled her head into him even more, searching for the perfect spot to get comfortable. When she had finally found it, she closed her eyes once more and sighed happily. The moment was perfect, even with his parents' only one floor above them.

Eric's other hand was still on her head, resting in her mane of hair. He gently kissed the top of her head as if she was a child, and then put his right hand on her back again. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Knowing what he was apologizing for, she said, "It's okay, we'll find a time and a place."

"It'll be hard with Fez back in town."

Jackie sighed yet again, this time out of disappointment. "Things would be so much better if he'd just stay away."

Eric laughed and kissed her head again. "It would, but you and I both know that our friends are more important."

"No Eric, you're more important to me than anyone."

"You're just saying that," he replied, blowing softly on her hair.

"No I'm not," she said as she lifted her head and set her chin between his rib plates to stare at him. When he seemed unconvinced, she said, "What you told me yesterday and what I see in you today tell me that there is no other I care more about. I have no family, Eric, my friends have always been the closest thing I've had."

"And you still felt alone," he stated. When she nodded, he rubbed her back up and down. "I know how you feel."

"You're the only one who does," she answered, closing her eyes and resting her ear back onto his chest. "Thank you."

"It goes both ways," he said as he continued to rub her back. He could feel her spine just under her clothing. It was faint, but every time he brushed his hand he could feel the bumps.

Jackie said, "I'm going to sleep."

"Okay." He laughed softly as she moaned and found a better spot on his chest. It wasn't a few minutes later that he had dozed off with her body lying on top of him, and for the first time in almost a year his dreams were untroubled.

-

It was almost three thirty when she called for her son again. Kitty knew she was pestering him, but he had just gotten home and she had missed him terribly. When there came no response, she went to investigate. Stepping down the few first stairs and peering into the basement, she saw something on the couch but couldn't be sure if it was her son. "Eric?" she asked again, and yet again no response. She walked down the stairs and closer to the couch, only to freeze mid stride as she caught the sight in front of her.

On the couch lay Eric, but on top of him was Jackie. She thought about waking them up to see what in the world was going on, but they looked so peaceful she actually said, "Aww," and put her hands up under her chin. It seemed innocent, as if he had stolen a moment in the madness of returning home. She knew her son was a man and he could do anything he wanted to, but the sight before her was a little perplexing. Again forcing herself not to bother them, she watched them. A smile had spilt her lips and she rocked back and forth on her feet, almost giggling. Jackie stirred a little and she quickly popped out of view, crouching just in case the little spitfire looked up.

After a few seconds she braved a look and once again both her son and Jackie weren't moving. Slowly setting herself straight, she wiped the wrinkles from her knee length skirt and tip toed to the stairs. She went up them as slowly and quietly as she could, watching the two on the couch to make sure they didn't see her. When she finally got to the main floor, she let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the doorway.

She smiled again at the picture she could so vividly remember. Her son's right hand had been on Jackie's back while the girls left arm had been tucked underneath her on Eric's chest. Knowing that she wasn't supposed to see what she did, her motherly tuition kicking in, she decided it would be her little secret. If her son or Jackie brought it up at any point, she would tell them what she had seen, but otherwise she would be as quiet as a mouse.

Kitty rounded the corner into the kitchen to find her husband picking at the cupcakes on top of the stove. "Red Forman," she said softly, slapping his hand away. "Those are for dessert."

Red pulled his hand back and said. "They'll go stale if I don't eat them now." He reached for the cupcake again.

Once again she slapped his hand away, but with more authority. "If you're that hungry, we can go down to the corner and get a hot dog."

"Why?" Red asked, frowning deeply.

"Why not?"

He stared at her for a second. There was a glint in her eye that he had seen before, but he knew enough that understanding it would prove a difficult task, so he said, "Dinner is in a few hours, Kitty."

"So," she replied, wiping icing off a finger. She quickly turned from the oven and went to the door, sliding it open and heading out. "Hurry Red!"

Red Forman stood in silence as he watched the door, expecting his wife to come back for him, but when she didn't he finally darted out the door, closing it loudly behind him. He didn't know what had gotten into Kitty, but a hot dog sure sounded like a good idea. It wasn't often since his heart attack that she would let him eat greasy food. That bothered him to no end, wounding his pride, but he knew she only did it because she was concerned for his well being. It took a few moments, but he finally caught up to her walking down the sidewalk.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

A soft snoring slowly crooned her awake, causing her to moan and move her head. She smiled suddenly as she remembered where she was. Opening her eyes, she could see that Eric was still sleeping, his hand that had once been on her back now dangling to the floor as he snored. The faint beating of his heart was audible among the silence of the basement. He seemed not to be bothered the slightest as she lay on him. Watching him sleep, he somehow became attentive of it and shook awake slowly. "Hey," she said softly as his eyes fluttered open.

Eric smiled faintly and lifted his arm to check his watch. Jackie had her chin on his chest, crating an uncomfortable spot that he had to ignore so not to make her move.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Just a little after four," he answered her, letting his arm drop back down to the floor.

"Did you sleep well?"

He smiled yet again and said, "Better than I have in almost a year."

"No nightmares?" she asked. When he shook his head, she said, "I guess we know what it takes for you to sleep peacefully." She laughed slightly as he bent his neck and kissed her on the nose. When he dropped his head back onto the arm of the couch she wrinkled her nose and said, "Eww."

"Shut up," he said playfully, using his right hand to rub the tip of her nose. "You can't slip into my room at night and sleep in my bed with me, nor can I spend all my time at your place."

"Everyone would get instantly suspicious," she said as she laid her ear back down on his chest.

"That they would, but that doesn't mean we can't steal these little moments. Plus, it's almost summer and I won't go back to work until September."

Jackie said, "And I get off work at one, so we would have roughly four hours in your basement if we wanted."

"What about Donna?"

"What about her?" Jackie asked, frowning slightly.

Eric laughed at her concern and put her worries to rest. "She does drive you to and from work, doesn't she?"

"Oh, well that'll make things harder, but we'll find a way to make it work." When he nodded at that, she brought both her arms under her breasts and pushed herself up. Eric whimpered, or let out a gasp, she couldn't be sure, but either way she was up and sitting on his legs, her own tucked under her body. "It's going to be difficult to keep this quiet."

"I know," he replied, putting his fingers behind his head and interlacing them, "but it'll be worth it, I promise."

"I don't need a promise. I know it'll be worth it."

"Good, I like a woman who knows what to expect, makes my job a lot easier." He grinned mischievously and earned a playful slap to his stomach.

Jackie gently lifted his shirt a little and inspected his stomach. Never in a million years did she think Eric Forman would have a six pack, but there it was, faintly showing below the skin. Running her fingertips over each muscle slowly, she said, "What should we do about Fez? He was pretty upset when he left."

Eric tried not to laugh as she touched his stomach. "I'm not sure, but he does tend to get upset about a lot of things."

"He is whiny isn't he?" she asked, gripping his shirt in her fists and making a sour face. Eric nodded and she straightened his shirt out and pulled it back down to his jeans. "Should we tell only him the truth? It would sure make things easier and you could come over to my apartment and not have to avoid him."

"Well," Eric said, "he's going to be leaving again soon, so we might as well let him know. It's not like he's going to tell anyone we know when he's on tour."

"True," she replied as he began to move under her. He eventually sat up and tucked a leg under himself. "Do we tell him right away or do wait until he leaves?"

"I'm no sure, but you know how Fez likes to be the only one to know something." She nodded and he said, "We can tell him just before he leaves so that he knows, but doesn't have the time to blurt it out to anyone. It's the safest bet."

Jackie laughed and said, "Okay, but if he suspects anything fishy, we tell him. He has a sixth sense about these types of things."

"Right," he answered her, rolling his eyes.

"He does!" she said loudly.

Eric snorted in laughter, causing her to pinch his leg. He refused to acknowledge it, even though it caused his eyes to water slightly. "For the sake of not wanting to raise my voice, let's assume he does."

"I'll take that as a yes," she said.

"You aren't going to let me get a word in, ever, are you?"

She shook her head and smiled wide. "Never!"

"I guess that's for the best," he said, "I'd hate to say the wrong thing and find myself in another woman's bed." He grinned evilly and she quickly poked him in the chest.

"Don't joke about that Eric, the last thing I could ever take is someone cheating on me. Both Steven and Michael did it to me and I don't think I've ever gotten over it."

Staring at her finger in his chest, he nodded. "I know you've been hurt more than most, Jackie, and I think you know what type of a person I am."

"I do," she replied, her smile back in place, "and I know you'd never cheat."

"I couldn't," he said, "I could never hurt you that much."

"You could never hurt anyone that much."

"Not true, I did almost kill a guy."

"That was an accident," she reassured him. She could tell that that incident was one he had been trying to forget. "You just have to forget about it and move on. The past is the past."

"But the past is always there," he replied quickly. "Whether or not it's good or bad it's always there."

"I know, but that doesn't mean you have to spend all your time letting it eat you up. When I first saw you after you had come back I could have sworn something was killing you. It was in your eyes that gave it away, but now I understand. You understand it too."

Eric nodded and said, "My past haunts me."

"And it will continue to until you come to accept it."

"It's hard," he replied, "I've done and seen things that are hard to forget."

"You don't have to forget, you simply have to accept it."

"I don't think I can," he said softly.

"You will," she replied and leaned over to kiss him. When she pulled back and brushed his cheek with her thumb she said, "I'll help you."

Eric laughed suddenly. "Now who's the one offering their help?"

"The moment you decided to help me I knew it was going to go both ways. I knew you were searching for someone to go through all this with and I knew it was me. I thought maybe you had told me what you did for selfish reasons, but that's not who Eric Forman is."

"And never will be," he finished as an afterthought.

"That's why I hold you in such high regard, Eric. You put others before yourself, even thought you know it will cause you nothing but pain and grief. As much as I do admire it, I also hate it because I know that pain does something to you."

Eric looked at her, nodding to himself. "I can't believe it took me so long to see how smart you are."

"Smart? Me?" she asked.

"Of course, you're probably the smartest person I've ever met.

Jackie shook her head and laughed. "Donna and Steven are pretty smart. I don't think I'm quite at their level."

"Don't doubt yourself," he said, "you are smarter than you think. You've just been hiding behind that mask for so long that you forgot it yourself."

"If I was so smart, why didn't I go to college? I got good grades and could have gone to any school I wanted to."

Eric smiled and said, "But you knew that college wasn't going to do anything for you. Plus, you're the most impatient person I've ever met." When she grinned, signaling he was right, he elaborated. "I was the same way. I could have gone to college to become a teacher, but I knew I didn't want to spend four years reading text books to learn what I already know."

Jackie frowned slightly. "Learning at college would have been much easier."

"Of course it would have, but I know that in a few years I will look back at my time in Africa and realize it was what I needed. College is something everyone wants, but finding what you need is more important."

"All this talk of need and want is really starting to make sense," she whispered.

"A lot of things do begin to make more sense when you tear away that veil, but some things will confuse you to no end as well."

"Like what?" she asked as she stared at him.

Eric said, "Well, sometimes you will feel the need to be somewhere, but won't know why. You can try to keep yourself from going, but the more you procrastinate, the more miserable you become. It's a strange feeling that I've experienced only twice, but I've learned it's best that you listen to it because you will end up following it eventually." He winked at her suddenly. "And with your impatience I'm sure that won't be a problem."

She laughed with him as he snickered. "I'm not impatient, I just like having things done right away."

"They're both the same thing," he said, half joking.

"Whatever."

"No, not whatever. You're impatient and that's as simple as apple pie."

"And you're grumpy and hard as stone," she shot back.

Eric nodded and said, "Deal with it!" She burst out into laughter a second later and he eventually joined in with a chuckle or two.

"Deal with it he says! I think you know me well enough to know I don't deal well with a lot of things."

"Then I'll teach you," he said.

"I have no doubt you'd succeed."

Eric frowned quickly. "Do you really think that highly of me? I'm no saint."

"I know," she replied, scooting closer to him and putting her face mere inches from his, "but you are the most intriguing and wonderful man I've ever met, and I feel somewhat lucky to have spoken to you yesterday. I feel that without you I may have lived a lie my entire life."

"I think you would have figured it out on your own."

"You're too modest." She quickly kissed him and said, "You might be right, I may have figured it out eventually, but by then I could have made mistakes that I could have regretted for the rest of my life."

"Everyone makes mistakes," Eric said.

"I know, but I mean like get married to the wrong man and have kids. I'd hate to come to realize my life was a lie and then have to resent a husband and my very own children. That's why I owe you everything; you've opened everything up to me before I got a chance to ruin my life without even realizing it."

Eric wanted to try and say something to show his modesty yet again, but he knew she wasn't simply saying it to be nice. The look in her eyes told him she meant every single word from the bottom of her heart. "Then you don't want a rich husband and to be famous?"

Jackie shrugged. "I am a small celebrity right now and I used to think it was special, but now I realize that's just want I wanted.

"And not what you need," he finished for her.

"Exactly. Oh, I'm sure on some level I still want to be known for something, and have people recognize me for it, but I understand that happiness doesn't come from where I used to think it did."

Eric smiled and said, "That's probably the greatest thing about what we're both going through. Happiness is the eternal question and so many people search for it, but they know it's likely they will never find it. We both know that we will find it or be miserable, but those others can be content without ever finding happiness. Because we know we won't be happy until we find everything we need, we will both search for it until we do."

"You really are confusing sometimes," she said playfully.

"So my students have said many times."

"I am one of your students, aren't I?" She snuggled into the crook of his arm and smiled.

"I guess out could say that," he said, "but I think of you more as a teacher's assistant. I help you become who you are, but when I need a hand you're there for me."

Jackie said, "It also doesn't hurt that this teacher's assistant has a set of breasts and is over eighteen." Eric laughed sharply, and she smirked wildly.

"Something tells me this is going to be more fun than I could have imagined," he said, leaning over and kissing her on the lips softly.

"Mmhm," she mumbled, trying to nod her head but his lips kept her still. As they continued their embrace, she heard voices and quickly shot back from him and to the other side of the couch. Pushing her hair out of her eyes and putting on her best fake look of annoyance, she stared at the television. She looked out the corner of her eye to see Eric crossing his arms and looking bored as the door to the stairs outside opened up. Hyde quickly came into view with Sam.

"You missed the funniest thing, Forman," Hyde said as he sat on his trademark chair and his wife went to the bedroom.

"Oh yeah?" Eric asked without wavering, "what happened?"

"Alright, well we were dropping off Kelso at his place and when he was halfway to his house he was egged."

"Egged?" Jackie asked with a frown.

Hyde quickly said, "A few girls he cheated on back in high school decided it was time for some revenge. You should have seen them laughing. I haven't seen anything quite like it."

"How many were there?" Eric asked.

"Eggs or chicks?"

"Both, unless an egg hatched, then that would confuse things somewhat."

Hyde laughed sarcastically and said, "There were three girls and a least four dozen eggs."

"He must have looked awful," Jackie said in disgust.

Hyde nodded. "He did, but the lucky bastard got out of it like he always does." When the two of them frowned at him and Sam came out of the bedroom, he said, "As he covered himself from any further onslaught, Betsy came out of the house calling for him. Brooke was at the doorway staring in shock, but the chicks pelting him with eggs stopped as soon as they heard a little girl calling him daddy."

"Ouch," Jackie said, cringing.

Hyde snorted in disgust as he finished his narrative. "One moment they were angry and throwing eggs at him, but once they saw Betsy they felt so bad that they went over to Kelso and helped him clean himself." He sat back in his chair suddenly and stated, "Women!"

Eric glanced over to Jackie, who was smiling slightly. When she locked eyes with him, he grinned back. Hyde's little story made him think about how quickly Jackie had changed after speaking to her the day before.

Noticing that his friend was staring at Jackie, Hyde said, "Why are you two staring at each other?"

Jackie looked to Steven and said, "Does it matter?"

"It does when it comes to you two."

Eric said, "I mouthed the word hypocritical to her."

"Are you saying that I'm hypocritical?" Hyde asked.

"Not in the least," Eric replied smoothly.

"Don't think I would hesitate hitting you for that."

Eric laughed. "Do it and we'll see what happens." Jackie laughed with him and even Sam joined in.

Hyde didn't take it all that well though and his mood darkened. "Just because you have some muscle on you doesn't make you tough."

"Nope," Eric readily agreed with him, "But knowing you're stronger than anyone else around you does."

Grunting in anger, Hyde went to punch his best friend in the shoulder, but Eric caught it with his right hand. When his friend smiled slightly and closed his fingers around his fist, he gasped in pain.

Eric watched as Hyde's mouth opened in complete shock. He quickly let go of his friend's fist and said, "Bullies need a taste of their own medicine once and a while."

"I'm no bully," Hyde said in defense.

"No, but I just thought I'd let you know that the next time you put me in a headlock you'll find yourself dealing with a much stronger person than you used to."

Hyde scoffed at that. "I could still take you, Forman. This little display of strength is nothing compared to actually horsing around. I'd have you pinned in a matter of seconds."

Eric could see he had wounded the young man's pride, and simply said, "Sure," drawing out the word excessively. When Hyde ignored him, he just smiled and let the silence fall over them. His friend, who he thought of much like a brother, was thick and tough as nails and had always considered himself the strongest of the group. Eric knew for a fact that that wasn't true anymore, and it seemed as if Hyde was trying to ignore it by ignoring him. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you were bested by me." He laughed, Jackie joining in and Hyde growling in response. He looked up to see that Sam was hiding a smile of her own behind an upraised hand.

Sam quickly went over to her husband and sat on his lap, throwing her arms around him and partaking in the fun. "You know, you don't have to be the strongest. I'll still love you."

Hyde shrugged her out of his lap and stood up. "I'm fine."

All three of them laughed again, Hyde getting fed up and charging into his bedroom. Sam watched as the door slammed shut. She quickly looked to Eric and said, "You've really hurt his pride."

"And maybe he should be put down like a wounded dog," Eric replied sarcastically.

"You know Eric," Sam said loudly, "I think you're a jerk."

"You wouldn't be the first to say so," he threw back harmlessly as Sam stormed into her and Hyde's bedroom.

Jackie watched it all with her eyes wide and glimmering in mirth. "So, I guess we have one more thing in common."

"What's that?" he asked.

"Sam doesn't like us."

Eric grinned and she quickly came over to his side of the couch. He kissed her and said. "Should I be worried?"

"Only if I have to defend your honor," she said.

"That would raise a whole lot of questions."

"Indeed it would, but if I catch her saying something bad about you behind your back, I'll still have to say something."

"Yeah, just join in on the fun!" he exclaimed as he wiggled his eyebrows.

Jackie laughed and slapped his cheek softly. "I know you'd defend me if she said something behind my back, so I can't help but do the same."

Eric rolled his eyes and said, "You don't have to strive to be like me, you have to be who you are, who you want to be."

"I don't know who I am or what I'm supposed to be," she replied. "The best I can do at the moment is mimic you and see what happens. I'm not saying it will help, but I have to show that I appreciate everything you're doing for me. Acting civilized towards you is a start."

Eric rolled the word civilized off his tongue a few times. "Jackie Burkhart, mild mannered weather reporter and civilized citizen? Sounds alien doesn't it?"

She shook her head and kissed him again, not bothering with a response and instead shutting him up permanently. The kiss deepened rather quickly and she found herself getting lost in him again. She knew that either Sam or Hyde could walk out of their bedroom at any minute, but she thought she couldn't care less. Kissing Eric was the only thing on her mind that seemed important at the moment.

Pushing away from Jackie, Eric said, "We have to be careful."

"I know," she replied, sighing heavily a second later. "This going to be hard."

"I know it is," he said as he wrapped her in his arms, letting her take in his warmth for a second, or until someone else interrupted them.

Jackie lifted her head to meet his chin and said, "Why don't we go up to your room?"

"What!?" he asked, almost choking on the air in his lungs.

"You heard me," she said.

"I know what I heard, but you can't be serious." It was his turn to be uncharacteristically afraid.

"We won't do what you're thinking about doing," she admonished. "But we could be alone and no one would know."

"My parents would," he said quietly, making sure they weren't too loud that Sam and Hyde could hear them.

"Are they even upstairs?" she asked. "I don't hear any footsteps above us."

Eric went silent for a moment, realizing that she was correct. They had woken up only ten minutes ago and he hadn't heard a single footstep upstairs. "Well, then what are we waiting for?" he asked as he stood up.

"Nothing," she replied, quickly heading up the stairs after getting to her feet. She could hear Eric bounding up the steps behind her as she walked into the kitchen and went through the living room. She was heading up the stairs to his bedroom, Eric only a few steps behind when the front door opened. They instantly froze, but she could have sworn anyone could hear her heart thumping wildly in her chest.

"Eric," Kitty said suddenly. She noticed both her son and Jackie were going up the stairs.

Red came into the house behind her and closed the door. "Where are you two off to?"

Jackie quickly posed herself. "I have to use the bathroom." She quickly looked to Eric and frowned. "Why are you following me?"

Eric almost coughed in surprise, but poised himself so that his father and mother wouldn't notice it. "I was going up to show her where the toilet paper was if there was none on the roller."

Kitty frowned at her son as she could have sworn he was dumber than a lemming. She could see that there was something that they both didn't want to admit to, but she knew enough that pestering them about it would only annoy them. She wanted desperately to smile but instead said, "There are extra rolls of toilet paper below the sink."

Jackie said, "Thanks," and went of the stairs and disappeared into the bathroom.

Eric watched her go and reluctantly went back down the stairs. "Where did you guys go?" he asked.

"None of your business," Red answered as he followed his wife into the kitchen.

"Right," Eric said to himself as he let his hand rest on the stair banister. A few seconds passed before he remembered, and vaulted up the stairs two steps at a time. He went to the bathroom door and knocked. When no answer came forth, he frowned.

"Psst!"

He turned around to the door to his bedroom. Jackie had her head stuck out, looking both ways and once again beckoning him. Smiling and making sure no one would see him, he quickly slipped into the bedroom and she shut the door.

"That was close," Jackie said as she removed one of her heeled sandals and stuck the toe of it under the door.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Making sure no one will barge in unexpected."

"My parents always knock."

"And Steven does too?" she asked.

"I guess not."

Jackie said, "Then it's best we be careful." She quickly kicked out of her other sandal and said, "I could swear your mom was smiling at us."

"I didn't notice," he replied, looking down at her as he leaned against the door. She was shorter without her sandals on, but she still looked beautiful. "You know, supper will be ready soon."

"Are you hungry or something?" she asked putting a palm on his chest.

Eric nodded and grinned sheepishly. "Something like that."

"That's what I thought," she said, lifting herself up onto her toes and kissing him while she gently placed her hands around his neck. Dinner wouldn't be ready for half an hour.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Eric was lost in her smell, his knees almost buckling under the strain of crouching so that he could capture her lips. Unlike Donna, Jackie was much shorter than him and he had to either put her up on his plane or bend to hers. He would have let it bother him if she wasn't such a good kisser. "Jackie," he moaned, taking his lips off her mouth and placing them on her neck. She instantly responded by stiffening, her back arching a little as his hand pulled her hard to him.

Jackie moaned over and over, allowing her body to be ravaged by both his mouth and his hands. Caught up in the heat of the moment, she gently slid her fingers up under his shirt again and scratched his chest. He had little hair, but it gave him a naturally smooth feel that she found incredibly erotic. Continuing to trail her finger up and down in lust, she felt his hands go up the back of her shirt. She didn't know exactly what he was doing, but a moment later her bra had fallen apart, barely hanging onto her shoulders. She should have pulled back and said something, but she knew this was coming eventually, and knew that there was no time like the present. Only the thought of Eric's parents finding them made her take a step back. It wasn't really a step beck, more of a parting of the lips, but she said, "Eric-," but was cut off as his hand had made it around to the front of her shirt and had grazed her left nipple.

"Payback," he whispered into her neck as he could feel her grind up against him. "You play with my nipples and I'll play with yours."

She thought she might explode the instant his large fingers found her nipple on the left and began to massage it softly. The idea of Red and Kitty finding them continued to play over and over in her mind, but she was too far gone to succumb to the possibility. Instead she felt as if he was torturing her with foreplay. Without really thinking, she slipped her hands to his belt and slowly began to undo it. She could remember how Eric always had his belt wrapped around himself one and a half times because he was so skinny, but now that he had filled out it only went through one loop instead of three.

He could hear his belt buckle in the silence of their embrace and he knew they were dangerously close to falling onto the bed and beneath the covers. In the past the image of his parents finding him naked in bed with a girl would have frightened him silly, but now that he was a man and didn't pay close attention to it anymore. Ignoring his conscious had become increasingly easier over the years. When her hand had finally undid the buckle and she went for the zipper, reality slammed back into him and he gripped her wrist. "Understand me, Jackie," he pleaded "I want that more than you could imagine, but I'm not willing to sacrifice a roof over my head for it."

Jackie whimpered suddenly, but she understood. She had thought of putting an abrupt halt to what they were doing many times, but the heat of the moment had been too much and she had been gripped with unadulterated lust. "I know," she wheezed against his cheek as his fingers quickly fell from her breast, "but just to let you know, I want it even more."

"I don't think you could," he replied as he kissed her forehead and rested his lips on it.

"You shouldn't underestimate me," she said as she placed both her palms on his shirt and sighed.

"I won't Jackie, I won't." Sighing along with her, he wrapped his arms lazily around her back and held her. "I don't know how long I could wait."

"Me either," she echoed with a soft voice, "but I'm letting you know that when we finally do, I intend to make the best of it."

Eric laughed softly and kissed her forehead again. "And here I thought we had come up here to do what I thought we were going to do." He was purposely avoiding the word so that she would know he was just messing with her.

"I told you downstairs that we weren't."

"I wasn't listening."

"Of course you weren't," she said with a smile. "You were too stunned by my beauty to even bother to listen to me."

He said, "I can't help it. When your lips start moving all I can think about is putting my own on them, especially when you're so close I can feel the heat coming off your skin."

"I have silky skin too," she stated, not bothering to say more.

"Yes you do," he replied, softly grazing his hand across her neck and up to her left cheek. "Some people may say that your skin is the essence of heaven."

Jackie melted at his words, allowing her body to fall into him even more as they continued to lean against the door. Her body seemed like too much for Eric to support for he had suddenly slid down the door with his back and had her cradled in his arms. She sat in his lap with her hands once again around his neck, but this time her lips were near his left cheek. "Does everything that comes out of your mouth always sound so sweet?"

"Only when you're around," he answered, gently placing a hand on her thigh to keep her from falling over. The sitting position on the floor was awkward, but the closeness kept him from moving.

"Are you happy?" she asked abruptly.

It took him a second to respond, but when he did he said, "I'm happier than I have been in a long time."

"But this isn't the happiest moment of your life?"

He shook his head and whispered into her ear with a smile. "I think my first beer was the happiest moment of my life."

Jackie laughed and then sighed blissfully. "Then I think my first pedicure was mine."

Eric smiled at that and rubbed his cheek against her hair affectionately, causing her to moan happily. "Who ever thought we'd find some happiness in each others' arms?" he said with a slight affection to his voice.

"I certainly didn't," she answered. "I guess its strange how things work out. We've had this supposed hatred between each other for so long that I really lost track where it had begun."

"I think you just simply annoyed me and it evolved from there."

"It all seems so childish now that I think about it."

Eric nodded slowly. "A lot of things seem childish in retrospect."

"Eric?"

"Hmm?" he moaned as he loosened his grip on her and allowed her to fall back to where he could look at her in the eye.

"Don't let go," she whispered.

He grinned and brought her back into his strong embrace. "Never," he answered.

On the other side of the door Kitty stood crying, her hands going to her eyes to quickly wipe away the tears that were falling. She had come upstairs to talk to Eric about what he wanted for supper, but she had heard him and Jackie talking. She knew it was rude to be standing and listening in on their private conversation, but she felt as if her heart would burst after hearing them. It had been a long time since she had heard such true words spoken with such confidence and affection. In her mind she knew her son and Jackie were completely opposite people, yet from the other side of the door they had made it seem so perfect. Wiping away more tears, she quickly moved from the hallway and into the bathroom to find a tissue, their words still hitting her harder than she thought they would. She had always been a romantic at heart, but she had no idea that her son could make her this happy. Red was in for a special night.

Eric could have sworn he heard a sniffle, but figured it was only Jackie and passed it off as the emotion of the moment getting to her. He was happy, but only to a degree. There was something else he was missing, something that he knew was just within his grasp but eluded him. He held no hope that Jackie was the woman for him, but no one had made him feel happy like this in ages. The last thing he would do was admit it was love, but in the recesses of his mind he knew there was something deeper between them than years of a relationship with Donna had ever provided. Jackie understood him, and in the same respect he knew more about her than anyone. Just knowing a woman didn't mean he was the right person for her, but every time she looked at him and kissed him, he couldn't help but feel as if maybe she was.

Feeling as if sleep was about to overcome them again, Jackie reluctantly pulled out of his arms. "I guess it had to end sooner or later," he said with a sad smile.

"It did," she replied, resting on her heels and looking at him sprawled out against the door. "But that doesn't mean we can't do it again."

"Of course," he replied, staring deep into her eyes. A sudden moment of silence filled the room, but thinking nothing of it, he slowly stood and said, "I hope you're staying for supper."

Jackie got her feet along with him. "I should probably go home and eat with Fez, but if you want me to stay, I will gladly do so."

"I don't want you to disappoint Fez if he's expecting you,"

She smiled and said, "I didn't even know he was going to be home, so he won't be expecting me."

"Then you can stay?" he asked hopefully.

Touching his arms, she leaned up and kissed him ever so delicately. "Of course I'll stay." As he continued to grin, she tapped his lips with her right index finger. "I'd hate to see all that food on the table go to waste."

Eric laughed. "Remember now, my mother has four mouths to feed, and that's not including her own. There's never enough food."

"Then you'll have to share with me."

"Gladly." He waited a few moments, but quickly slipped his hands up her shirt and clipped her bra back into place. "Sorry about that," he apologized.

"I think the reward for if coming apart is enough to persuade me you don't need to apologize."

He slipped his hand back out from under her shirt and laid them on opposites sides of her waist. "I feel like we're forgetting something," he said a second later as he studied her eyes.

"A first date," she replied with a grin.

"First date?"

"Yes, you know, awkward silences, fleeting glances, and small talk."

Eric laughed and said, "I think I can do without that."

"Me too," she replied, lifting up her bra at the front to make sure her breasts were once again in the cups properly. Satisfied with her manner in which she was dressed, she slipped her shoe out from under the door and put it on. A second later she had the other on and she once again stood above his chin.

"Did you ever notice that you dress in bright colors all the time?" he asked.

"Why, do you not like it?" She adjusted her jeans and pulled her shirt down just enough to cover any exposed skin.

"No," he answered quickly, "I like it a lot. Bright colors bring out the brown in your eyes. Plus, I've always seen you as a bubbly person, even if your words were often filled with harshness or cruelty."

"That's a thing of the past," she said suddenly.

"What, the clothes?"

"No silly, the cruelty towards others."

Eric nodded and did up his belt. "I never truly thought you meant all those things you said over the years."

"You may not have, but I hurt a lot of people with my big fat mouth and I can't help but feel as if I was a horrible person. I wish I could take it all back."

He smiled and said, "Regretting the past is never easy to handle, but you'll find it will lessen in pain as you act more civilly towards those around you. Soon those memories of hurting others will be replaced with the pride and enjoyment of being nice."

"Really?" she asked, looking into his mirror on his dresser closet to make sure her hair wasn't frazzled. In the ways of her appearance she was still vain.

"Really," he answered her. "I went backwards with mine. I did some things that caused me to be rood and ignorant of others. I wasn't like that before I left, but when I came back I was. Now I'm heading back in the right direction."

Jackie smiled, knowing it was her that was helping him steer there. "How do I look?" she asked as she turned her head in the small mirror. Eric suddenly filled the rest of it.

"You look beautiful," he said.

"You're just saying that."

"Maybe, but it doesn't make it any less true."

She felt lucky to have him in her life, for the simplest of his little comments could bring a smile to her face. "I guess I should say that you're handsomer than ever."

"Even without a beard?" he asked with a light laugh, turning his cheeks back and forth to inspect them.

Jackie reached up and scratched his right cheek with her right hand and said, "We've already discussed this, stubble is okay, but I won't be with a wild man."

Eric wrapped his arms around her waist and interlocked his fingers on her stomach. "How do we look together?" he asked her, staring into the mirror.

"Happy," she answered.

"Happy," he echoed, "That's good enough for me." He gently spun her in his arms and kissed her. Pulling back with effort, he said, "I'll see you downstairs in a few minutes."

"Why a few minutes?" she asked, her eyebrows drawn into an arch.

"To throw off suspicion."

"Oh, right. I almost forgot."

"Don't worry," he said, pausing for a moment of silence as he opened the door and peaked side to side into the hallway. He put his head back in the room and looked at her. "I'll remember for the both of us."

Jackie watched as he grinned and left the room. She walked over to his bed and sat down, allowing enough time pass between his return to the bottom floor and hers so that there would be no suspicion. A second later she heard a knock on the door. Thinking it might be Eric, she wandered over and put her hand on the doorknob to open it, but she remembered that they had to be careful. What would happen if someone other than Eric was on the other side of the door and found her in his room? She quickly removed her hand and took a step back.

"Jackie?"

Almost jumping at the sound of Mrs. Forman's voice, her hand shaking erratically, she placed it over her mouth to make sure she was quiet. She suddenly looked for a place to hide if Eric's mother came in.

"Jackie dear, I know you're in there." When the young girl didn't answer her, Kitty said, "It's okay, Jackie. I know."

"Know what?" she replied, but suddenly slapped her hand onto her mouth harder than before as she realized she had slipped.

Kitty smiled to herself and opened the door, letting herself in. Jackie was standing in the middle of the room with her hand over her mouth, no doubt to keep herself quiet. But, it was Jackie after all and she knew the young girl had a tendency to speak unknowingly. "I caught you two on the couch earlier," she said.

Jackie let out a comforting sigh. "Why didn't you wake us?" she asked.

"Because you looked peaceful."

Not knowing what to say next, Jackie began to apologize. "I'm sorry I'm in here, Eric and I-," She was quickly cut off when Mrs. Forman laughed.

"Don't worry about it sweetie, I understand."

"Do you?" she asked hesitantly. Could Kitty be that intuitive?

Nodding vehemently, Kitty said, "I caught what you said to each other just a few minutes ago."

"You were spying on us?" Jackie asked, somewhat offended.

"Not really. I came to ask Eric what he wanted for supper, but I heard the two of you."

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know that I'm happy for the both of you."

"Really?" Jackie asked in shock.

"Of course, dear, of course. Plus, I've noticed that Eric hasn't been the same since he came home and I think he was lost for a moment, but when I heard him speak to you he sounded so sure of himself."

"He did, didn't he?" Jackie said through a self indulgent smirk.

"He makes you feel good, doesn't he?" Kitty asked. When Jackie nodded back shyly, a new wrinkle in the young girl's demeanor she had never seen before, she said, "Then hold on to him. He'll make you happier than you could ever imagine."

"How do you know that?"

Kitty smiled and said, "Eric is much like his father in some respects. They both have the ability to make the woman they're with feel as if they are the only one they care about."

"I never knew Mr. Forman was so kind," Jackie said.

"And don't you ever say that to anyone, this is just between me and you. Red may put on a tough exterior, but he's the gentlest person in the world."

Jackie began to see the comparison as Kitty explained it.

Watching the young girl become somber and quiet, she clapped her hands quickly. "Well, since Eric isn't here to tell me what I should make for supper, you get to decide."

"Me?" Jackie asked it astonishment.

"Yes, anything you want, dear."

Jackie froze suddenly, unsure of what she wanted. "I don't have the faintest of ideas," she said finally.

"Come on, there has to be something you haven't have in a long time."

Still thinking, she brightened suddenly and said, "Maybe just a homemade meal? Barbecue maybe?"

"Really?" Kitty asked. It sounded like a rather generic request. She had been expecting something expensive and occult.

Jackie smiled and shrugged. "I live alone and I rarely eat a homemade meal."

"Ahh, well, come with me and we'll whip up some dinner. Plus, Red would never pass up the opportunity to barbecue." She quickly left the room, knowing the young girl would linger for a few minutes. Walking down into the kitchen, her husband sitting at the table with the paper in his hands, she said, "Fire up the barbecue, Red." He instantly grinned and got up.

"What are we having?" he asked.

"Sausage."

"That's my kind of dinner," he replied as he opened the sliding door and headed out to the barbecue in the backyard.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Eric came up the stairs from the basement and into the kitchen, only to find a shocking sight. Jackie was standing over the counter peeling potatoes slowly, her fingers dirty with spud peelings. "What the hell?" he asked softly, his eyes bulging.

Hearing Eric beside her, Jackie turned and said, "I'm helping your mother make supper."

He looked for his mother and when he couldn't find her he frowned. "You know how to cook?"

"No, but I do know how to peel potatoes."

Eric wanted to ask a million more questions, but Jackie was smiling as she continued to peel.

Jackie waited until she knew Red was out of earshot outside before she turned to Eric and said, "You're mother caught us."

"Caught us?"

"Yeah, she caught us on the couch in the basement," she replied. She watched as Eric's eyes grew even larger and he looked like he might be sick. "Don't worry, she said nothing."

"How do you know that?" he asked, finally calming himself somewhat.

Smiling, Jackie said, "She caught us upstairs in your bedroom too."

He gulped noisily. "How much did she hear or see?"

"Enough," his mother answered him as she came in from the dining room.

Eric jumped back, almost slipping on the floor and falling to his ass, but he held the stove to keep himself upright. He quickly went a deep shade of crimson as he tried desperately to hide his embarrassment.

"Oh, don't be so embarrassed, honey."

"What?" he asked, still shocked and surprised.

Jackie said, "It's okay, you're mom said that she gives us her blessing to do whatever we wish." Mrs. Forman nodded and she smiled at Eric, who was still looking at her with a worried gaze. "Don't worry, we will only have to hide it from our friends, and sometimes passing things over their heads is easier than shooting fish in a barrel."

"Shooting fish in a barrel is still difficult," he replied.

"Quite speaking in riddles," Kitty said as she handed him a plate of summer sausage. "Takes these out to your father."

Eric was still stunned, but he nodded and followed his mother's orders, taking one last worried glance at Jackie before he went through the door and into the backyard. He walked up to the barbecue, his father nowhere in sight. Seeing that the barbecue was hot enough, he opened it and went to put on a sausage.

"Freeze!" Red said loudly.

Eric did so.

"I'll do that," his father said as he walked over and ripped the plate out of his son's hands. Red put the sausage on the grill and closed the top. "This is my barbecue, got that? Until you get your own only I'm allowed to touch it. Understood?"

"Yes sir," Eric replied taking a step back and smiling slyly. His father hadn't changed in two years and it was strangely comforting.

As his son was about to go back into he house, Red said, "Bring out the barbecue sauce."

Eric nodded and went to the fridge and grabbed the sauce. Closing the fridge, he walked past his mother and Jackie again without a word and opened the sliding door. "Here," he said, getting his fathers attention and tossing the bottle to him. Red caught it in mid air and turned around without muttering a thank you. Eric looked around the kitchen for a moment and said, "Is there anything I can do?"

Kitty said, "No, we have everything under control."

He nodded and went back outside. Finding the basketball under his father's tool bench in the garage, he bounced it a few times to make sure it had enough air. Satisfied that it did, he walked out into the driveway and bounced the ball a few more times. It had seemed like it had been ages since he had played basketball in the driveway. The backboard and the rim were still in good shape, and it looked as if his dad or someone else had just replaced the net. Sticking his tongue out a little, he lifted his arms and shot the ball. It bounced off the rim and hit the Toyota in the garage.

Red heard it and yelled, "Close the damn door or put the basketball away."

Eric nodded dumbly and closed the garage door, leaving the basketball sitting beside him after having retrieved it. Once he had the door closed he began to bounce the ball over and over again, finally shooting it and missing the net horribly. The ball went into the shrubs that separated their house and the Pinciotti's. Sighing, he went over and got to his knees, rooting around until he found it. Getting back up, he brushed off his knees and did a lay up, this time the ball hitting off the backboard and falling through the rim. He caught the ball on the first bounce and dribbled it slowly. His father went into the house a second later to put the barbecue sauce away and Eric continued to dribble. It was the first time he really had a moment to be alone since he had returned home.

He thought everything would feel overwhelming, but strangely enough he felt relaxed and calm. Everything seemed where it should be, his father acting rude, his mother being overly protective, but there was still Jackie. As he thought about her he had a hard time remembering what she used to be like. Even before he had left for Africa he had seen a slight change in her. She hadn't been quite as overbearing and rude as she used to be, but he had passed that off as Hyde's doing.

Then there was Hyde, who was now married and even more cynical than before. He and Jackie's relationship had done a number on both of them, but it looked as if his best friend had taken it much harder than she had. Eric didn't know what to think of Sam, for on one hand he knew that Hyde had married her on a whim and probably didn't love her, but they seemed to genuinely care for one another. He doubted the marriage would work in the end, but he would give his friend the benefit of the doubt. Hyde had a way of making sense of impossible situations.

He was also jealous of the fact that his best friend had gone to Vegas without him, as they had planned to go there with all the guys when they were all twenty-one. But, he knew he'd get the chance some day and wouldn't hold the slightest grudge about not going with Hyde.

Red stepped out of the house and closed the door behind him. "Eric, when are you going to look for work?" he asked.

Eric almost smiled, knowing that the question would come up sooner or later. Putting the ball on his hip and holding is still with his arm, he said, "I have the summer off, but I plan to apply for a number positions come next week."

"Are you going to continue living here?" Red asked as he went to the barbecue and lifted the top to inspect the sausage.

"Probably until I'm working in the fall, then we'll see how far I have to drive to work everyday."

Red nodded. "I think your mother would like you to live here the rest of your life, but there is a time when you'll need to get a place of your own."

"I understand," Eric replied.

His father turned to him and looked him in the eyes. "I think you do," he said.

That was all the acknowledgment and goodwill he would receive from his father, but he allowed himself to swell slightly.

"I hope you have money," Red said suddenly, "You're a man now and we won't be paying for anything anymore."

Eric laughed and said, "I made a fair amount in Africa. I have more than enough to hold me over until I start teaching in September."

"Do you like what you do son?"

Almost tripping at the sincerity in his father's voice, Eric straightened himself and answered. "I do." When his father nodded and closed the top of the barbecue, he said, "Do you like working at Price Mart?"

Red shrugged and turned to his son, "It keeps me out of your mother's hair. If I was around all the time I would drive her crazy."

"I thought you had enough money to retire?"

"We do, but we haven't found anything to occupy our time so it doesn't hurt to work a few times a week."

"You could buy a motor-home and travel across the country," Eric suggested.

Red thought about it for a second and opened the barbecue again. "You know son, that doesn't sound like a bad idea."

Eric smiled as his father had actually listened to his advice.

Looking into the house, Red said, "That's not Jackie in the kitchen helping your mother with supper, is it?"

"You sound surprised," Eric said with a small grin. His father grunted to show him that he didn't care, but he knew his father was curious. Even he had been shocked to see her with her hands dirty and a potato peeler in her right hand. As usual, his father became silent and went back into the house for a moment. Eric nodded and turned back to the basketball net.

"Hey, Eric."

He looked up as Donna came onto the driveway. "Hey," he replied.

"I thought I heard someone playing over here." He bounced the ball and she caught it deftly and turned, shooting it straight. The ball went though the rim and touched only net.

"As good as ever," Eric said.

"You never lose the touch," Donna replied as she went and grabbed the ball. She walked towards him and bounced it. She caught a glimpse inside of the house and her eyes widened. "Is that Jackie helping your mother in the kitchen?"

Eric looked back and said, "It appears to be." He turned back to Donna and dribbled the ball slowly.

"I'm worried about her," Donna said abruptly.

"Why?" he asked as he shot the ball over her head. It hit the front of the rim and she caught it on the first bounce.

"She's been acting strange today. First thing this morning she offered to make me breakfast, then at the Hub she was so quiet that she was almost the mere image of you."

"What's so wrong with that?" he asked, taking the ball from her hands.

Donna said, "This is Jackie we're talking about, loud mouthed and incredibly shallow."

"People change," he replied simply as he shot the ball again. This time it went through the net smoothly.

"Not Jackie."

"How could you say that? Everyone changes."

Donna put her hands on her hips and sighed. "I guess you're right, but Jackie was always the one person I thought would be the same forever."

"That's rather shallow thinking on your part," Eric said with a laugh. His comment earned a basketball in the gut. He feigned pain and went to retrieve the ball that had ricocheted off his stomach and to the garage door.

"So many things have changed already, it just seems that she was the last one, and it's just that much more noticeable."

Eric stood with the ball in his hands and stared at Donna. He could see the concern clearly etched on her face, but he could also see the unbalanced worry about their group of friends. "I thought you'd be the last person in the world to crave the nostalgia of old."

Donna shrugged and took the ball from him. "Things were a lot simpler back then," she said.

"It was only a few years ago," Eric replied with a laugh.

"I know, but soon it will be longer and then we'll all drift apart because of life. Look at Fez, he's gone all the time and we don't ever get to see him."

"Oh, that reminds me," Eric said, "Fez is back in town. He came by earlier but went to his and Jackie's apartment to unpack."

"Really?" she asked. When he nodded, she asked, "How long is he back for?"

Eric shrugged and said, "Just for three or four days I think, or until he is needed back on tour."

Donna sighed. "That's still not enough time."

"There is never enough time for anything," he said. "Life has a way of playing out a certain way whether or not you want it to or not. Everything changes, and just because you don't want it to, doesn't mean it won't."

"Do you not dream that everything would stay the same?" she asked, not bothering to reply to his cryptic talk.

"Maybe in the past I did, but I understand that many things aren't within your control." When Donna shot the ball, he stuck his hands in his pockets. "What about you, don't you still dream of getting out of this town?"

She shrugged and passed him the ball. "I do, but it just seems that everyone I know still lives here, and now that you've come back it just seems as if it would be too hard to leave. You know what I mean?" she asked helplessly.

"I do," he replied, nodding as he shot the ball. This time it hit the backboard and the front of the rim, the ball falling right into Donna's hands. "I was scared when I left for Africa. Never in a million years did I think I would leave Point Place, but I did. Eventually you just have to make the decision and have the gall to stick with it."

"I wish I had the courage you did," she said. "But now I think that I can't go. There is too much of my past here."

"Sometimes you have to forget the past and move on."

"I can't do that," she said. "Some of my happiest times were here in your basement with our friends."

Eric said, "You'll make new friends elsewhere."

"But they won't be the same."

He nodded sadly as she shot the ball again.

Donna said, "Plus, there's Randy."

"What about him?" Eric asked as he walked around her and got the ball, bouncing it a few times.

"If I were to up and leave, I don't know if I could leave him behind."

"Then ask him to go with you."

She shook her head. "I don't know if I could ask him to."

"It never hurts to be a little selfish sometimes."

Donna sighed and caught the ball as he bounced it to her. "I love him, Eric, but I know something like that can lead to what happened between you and me."

Eric smiled and shrugged. "But maybe he's the one for you. You'll never know unless you make a decision and ask him. Don't spring it on him like I did to you, bring it up casually and see what he thinks. He's not as attached to everyone as you are, so it might be much easier for him to get away."

She thought Eric might have faltered when she told him she loved Randy, but he had seemed completely unaffected. At that moment she knew that he was truly over her, and it saddened her a bit. "Do you really think he'd go with me if I decided I really wanted to get away?"

Shrugging again, Eric said, "That's not a question I'm adept at answering, but all I know is that if he loves you like you love him, he'll give you and honest answer."

Donna nodded and held onto the ball with both hands. "When your father had a heart attack and we were about to leave for Madison, do you think if your father hadn't been in the hospital you would have actually gone?"

Eric looked at her for a moment and nodded. "Yes, I would have."

"And if we were still together now and you hadn't gone to Africa, would you have left town with me now if I decided to go?"

He nodded once again and took the ball from her hands, shooting it in a high arch.

Donna watched the ball go through the rim and she said, "But you wouldn't now, would you, even if we hadn't broken up and you had still gone to Africa?"

Turning back to her with the ball once again in his hands, he tossed it to her with one hand. "No, if we were together still and you decided again that you wanted to get away from here, I wouldn't go with you."

"Why not?" she asked.

He shrugged and said, "I've always wanted to stay in Point Place. Being in Africa only convinced me that this is where I belong."

"But haven't you ever dreamed of escaping this place to find something new and exciting?"

"I did, Donna," he replied, "and like a said, this is where I belong. It was always your dream to leave this place behind and do something more with your life."

She nodded and juggled the ball in her hands. "I know, but I look at it and I realize I have a boyfriend who I love, a great job and friends I love dearly as well, but since everything is changing I keep wondering to myself if it's time for a change myself."

Eric said, "It's never too late to go back to school."

Once again she nodded. "I would love to go back to school and earn a distinguished doctorate or Masters Degree."

"Then do it," Eric said quickly. "The last thing you want to do is look back on your life and regret making some of those choices you wish you had. I don't regret going to Africa, it taught me so many things that I'll always use for the rest of my life."

"So you actually liked it there?" she asked.

"No, not really, but it was a good learning experience."

She nodded and shot the ball. "I just wish I had the courage to make a decision about leaving or not."

Eric smiled and said. "You may find one day that another's actions may push you to your conclusion."

"Well, my father has talked about moving down to Florida."

"Maybe that's something you should think about if you're confused. If your dad left Point Place, what else is holding you back? Just your friends, and all friends eventually drift apart, but they always remain your friends."

"I'd miss you all too much," she said.

"And we'd miss you terribly as well, but we'd understand."

"Would you?"

Eric said, "I would better than most."

Somehow she knew he was right, and she bounced the ball after he handed it over to her. "So you'd miss me?" she asked with a smirk.

"Of course," he replied as he stole the ball from her. He turned and did a lay up, the ball falling through the net and bouncing to her. "Just because we're not together anymore doesn't mean I don't care for you."

"I know that," she replied with a roll of her eyes. She went up on him with the ball, forcing him to play defense. When she shot the ball and he swatted it out of the air like he would hit a fly, she looked at him in amazement. He had never done that before. "I see that those muscles are useful for something,"

"That they are," he replied as he jogged to the ball and picked it up. His father exited the house once again to check on the barbecue just as he had finished bending over to pick up the ball.

"Out of my way," Red said.

"Yes sir," Eric replied as moved back onto the driveway.

"But I guess some things never do change," Donna stated as Eric bounced the ball to her.

"No," replied with a laugh, "Some things never do."

-

Jackie watched Eric and Donna play from inside the kitchen, her eyes stuck on them as if she was hiding in the bushes stalking them. She felt slightly jealous at the moment, but she knew enough about Eric that he simply missed Donna's friendship.

"They were always the best of friends," Kitty said as she slipped the potatoes into the microwave for the second time.

"I know," Jackie replied with a sigh, leaning on the counter.

"She's missed him terribly since they broke up."

"You don't think..."

Kitty shook her head and laughed. "Jackie dear, you don't have to worry about that. Eric would never do that, he's too much like his father."

"I keep trying to decide whether or not that's a good or a bad thing," she replied with a chuckle, Mrs. Forman's words having put her worry to rest.

"Sometimes Red's stubbornness is difficult to handle, but other times he knows exactly what to do. Like I said before, we are the lucky few that get to see a side of a man that no one else does. That's a rare thing."

"Really?" Jackie asked.

"Really!"

"But how do you handle it? Sometimes I think Eric could care less about me than he does, yet when I see his eyes I can't help but feel as if his whole world revolves around me."

Kitty smiled and said, "With men like Eric you have to take it all in stride and sometimes ignore their shortcomings. Red has many, but he sure makes up for them in a big way. Eric will have even less shortcomings than his father. He learned long ago that he didn't want to be as mean and hard as his father; although, I do see him as the spitting image of Red."

"So the pros outweigh the cons?" Jackie asked.

"Heavily," Kitty responded. "Having a man who you can trust with everything and know exactly who he his, is a rare thing. Why do you think so many marriages these days don't work out?"

Jackie thought back to her parents break up and said, "Trust."

"That's right dear, it's all because at some point both people in the marriage stop trusting one another. With Eric that will never be a problem, he has such a strong moral fiber."

"I guess he has you to thank for that."

Kitty smiled wider and said, "He does, but his father was tough on him because in his own mind it was the best way to teach Eric how to be a man. Red treated his son much like his father treated him, but not quite as hard."

Jackie said, "I couldn't imagine anyone being harder on their son than Mr. Forman."

"Me either, but in the time I knew Red's father I can tell you that it was possible. He resented his father for treating him like he did, and when he died Red didn't shed a single tear."

"I've never seen him cry," Jackie said in admiration.

"That's because that's who he is around everyone else." Kitty leaned over and whispered into Jackie's ear. "What you'll never hear is that for days after his father's death I had to console him while he cried in bed. No matter how much he resented his father, he still loved the man and missed him terribly."

"Eric will be the same?" Jackie asked. She was readily astonished with what Kitty had just said.

Kitty shrugged softly. "With Eric it might be different since he doesn't resent his father. I think he understands why Red is so hard on him and I think he appreciates it on some level. He may never cry openly, but he will more open than his father."

"I guess that's a good thing," Jackie said.

"I know it would have made things a little easier if his father wasn't so hard on him. But like I said before, you can't dwell on their faults. You have to see past them and notice what they truly offer. And you know what that is?" Kitty asked.

Jackie found herself saying, "Love."

Kitty smiled wide and said, "Unconditional love, Jackie."

"Do you think Eric loves me?" she asked, not realizing that there was hopeful tone to her voice.

Looking at the young girl, who was glancing back out to he driveway every couple of seconds, she said, "I can't answer that with all honesty, but I do know this. Eric has gone through some things that I don't think anyone has the wherewithal to understand fully. His father would, but he would never speak to him about it. It's not a stretch to believe that being back only one day he could have found a woman to love." Jackie smiled slightly and she finished by saying, "Eric's always been a slave to his emotions, and even though he may mask them, they're there and he knows enough to follow them."

Jackie nodded and continued to smile. She and Eric were starting something good and she knew it was because he felt something for her, even if she knew she would never hear it from his lips for months. Looking over to Kitty suddenly, she said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear. I'm always here if you ever need to talk. Now, let's finish up making dinner so we can get around to eating it."

Nodding in agreement, Jackie went to the freezer above the fridge to find the vegetables.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Dinner had gone off without incident, Jackie acting civil towards Sam, and the stripper doing likewise before she was off to work. Eric noted that the nighttime entertainment life certainly didn't leave a lot of time for personal time. The hours weren't long, but she had to work nights when Hyde was off work and weekends when he was off both days. There had been a number of awkward silences at the table and every time his mother would break it with one of her uneasy laughs. He and his father had wished silently that they were elsewhere, but they bore it without a word and then disappeared once they were done eating.

Eric had been sitting on the couch when Jackie had come downstairs. She had just finished helping his mom clean the dishes when she walked by him and sat down on the other side of the couch. Hyde had been in his regular chair and he turned and said, "I'm sorry about earlier."

"It was nothing," Hyde replied as he continued to watch the television. He had his sunglasses off.

Nodding, Eric looked over to the other side of the couch to Jackie, who wasn't more than two feet away. He silently wished he could bring her over and let her crawl into his arms, but he remembered that they were going to keep it quiet from now on. Sighing heavily as the evening news was wrapping up and the primetime hour was about to begin, he checked his watch. Donna had said she and Randy would be in the basement around six thirty, but it was almost seven.

"Expecting someone, Forman?" Hyde asked as he looked to his once scrawny friend. He couldn't exactly place the change in his friend, but it didn't concern him too much.

"Donna said she and Randy were going to stop by. Plus Fez should be back by now."

"You told us at dinner that he might have gone over to Kelso's."

Eric nodded and went quiet again.

"So, Jackie," Hyde said suddenly, "I've been meaning to ask you how you managed to go from assignment reporter to morning weather girl in just two months. Who'd you have to sleep with?"

Jackie glared at Steven, but couldn't help but notice Eric silently fuming beside her. It was obvious he wasn't amused with his friend's mocking and insulting question. Lifting her chin in the air a little, she said, "I worked hard and did a good job. I don't have things handed to me like you do."

Eric watched as Hyde visibly cringed. "She's got you there," he said with a laugh.

"That still begs the question though; who did you sleep with Jackie?" Hyde grinned and crossed his arms.

"No one," Jackie answered angrily, "but if I did it would have been better than anything I've had in the past!" Her last few words caused Eric to burst out into laughter, and she smiled at her victory. Hyde was staring at her with wider eyes than she could have imagined. Her smile and Eric's laughter ceased as the door to the basement from the outside stairs opened up and Kelso came through, Brooke following him and Fez not a step behind her.

"Fez!" Hyde exclaimed quickly, forgetting about what had just transpired and stood up. He hugged the foreigner fiercely and slapped his back with authority. "How have you been man?"

Fez let go of his curly haired friend and said, "Great. I have so many things to tell all you guys."

"Well, let's wait until we're all drunk and can't remember any of it."

Michael said, "He's told us so much already on the car ride over that we could have sworn he'd talk our ears off."

"I think I'm deaf," Brooke said as she rubbed her right ear softly.

"Ha, ha," Fez remarked as he wiggled his way in-between Eric and Jackie. He looked over at Jackie and gave her an all too knowing fretful glare. When she smiled and put a small thumb in the air, he sighed heavily and said, "Where's the beer?"

Hyde said to Kelso, "Open up the shower curtain."

Michael did and when he saw case after case of beer stacked on top of one another, he screamed loudly. "Alright!"

Eric smiled at his taller friend's exuberance. There was still a lot of Michael Kelso's boyhood nature that hadn't been diluted yet.

"Where's Betsy?" Jackie asked.

Brooke said, "We left her with Michael's parents."

"In that house, with all his brothers?" Eric asked with a frightful stare.

"Yeah, why?" she asked with a frown.

"Well," Eric began, but was shut up when Kelso slugged him in the shoulder. He may have been bigger than Hyde now, but the man who hit him was a trained police officer and happened to much taller than him. "Nothing," he said as he rubbed his shoulder. "Betsy should be just fine there."

Brooke didn't know whether or not to believe him, especially since it looked as though Michael had silenced him, but she dropped it and said, "It's hard to find a sitter. And I guess they become family in a few months."

"That's right!" Jackie exclaimed, "We get to throw you a bachelorette party!"

"I don't want anything flashy or eccentric," Brooke said.

Jackie seemed to ignore her and said, "We'll hire a male stripper and everything."

Brooke reddened a bit and rubbed her neck. "Where would we have it?" she asked softly, not bothering to argue with the dark haired woman.

"My apartment," Jackie said quickly. "Fez won't be there so it would be the perfect time."

"Ahem." When everyone turned to Fez he said, "I will too be here. I'm Kelso's best man after all."

Eric nodded. Kelso and Fez were probably the two closest friends among their group. Fez had even lived with Kelso for a period of time. "Don't worry Fez, we'll be taking Kelso out on the town for his bachelor party the same night."

"Ooh, naked women!" Fez cooed loudly.

Laughing, Eric said, "Actually, Kelso, when is your wedding?"

Kelso frowned and turned to Brooke. She said, "We really haven't set a date, but we'd like to have it by water sometime this summer."

"You haven't really planned this very well, have you?" Jackie asked.

"Not really," Brooke admitted.

Jackie got up off the couch as Randy and Donna suddenly came in through the outside door. She grabbed both taller women's arms and pulled them to the stairs up to the kitchen.

"Wait," Donna said as she yanked her arm from Jackie's grip. "What's going on?"

"We're going to help Brooke plan her wedding, maybe pick a date."

"What, Kelso isn't good enough?" Donna asked with a grin.

"Hey!" Kelso yelled, but everyone else was laughing loudly.

"No," Brooke said as her own laughter died down, "I just realized that Michael and I haven't really planned this out yet. Jackie was just going to help us."

Donna nodded and shrugged. "Saturday Night Live doesn't start in over four hours, so why not?" She followed girls up the stairs and said, "We have to find Mrs. Forman, she knows about these things."

"I'm already on it," Jackie said as she reached the top of the stairs. "Mrs. Forman!" she yelled.

Eric cringed as he heard her yell. In some ways she was still the Jackie Burkhart many remembered her as, but in a strange way he found it innocent.

"Loud, isn't she?" Hyde said as he leaned forward and turned the volume up on the TV.

"You can say that again," Kelso agreed. "So, what do you guys have planned for a bachelor party?"

Hyde said, "Nude chicks and alcohol."

"My favorite two things in the world," Fez interrupted.

"Mine too," Kelso echoed as he sat down beside Fez on the couch.

Randy quickly found the seat on the chair closest to the door. "What about Sam?" he asked Hyde.

"Right," Hyde said softly, "We'll have to go a night that she isn't working. Let's see, it'll have to be a weekday."

"I'm free anytime up to late August," Eric said.

"I need a specific date," Fez said.

Hyde sighed again and said, "Maybe I can get her to take holidays or something, so we can go on the weekend. She might want to spend the night with girls anyways."

"And we could have it close to the wedding day," Fez said, butting in. "That way I can be back for a few days and know everything is set and I can get back to work without delay."

Michael nodded as he wasn't paying too much attention to him. The television was mightily distracting.

"Where are you going for your honeymoon?" Eric asked.

That caught his attention and Michael quickly said, "Disneyland!" The four other guys in the room laughed.

Randy said, "I doubt Brooke would want to go to an amusement park. You have to take her somewhere romantic, tropical even."

Kelso moaned as if pain and said, "This is going to cost a fortune, plus, we can't take Betsy along with us."

"My mom would be more than happy to look after her," Eric said. "She wouldn't pass up the opportunity to dote over her for more than a week."

"You think she'd agree?" Kelso asked, skeptical.

"Agree!" Hyde snorted with a sharp bark of laughter. "She'd pay you to leave her here."

"Okay then. I guess all I need to do now is find a place."

"I suggest going to Canada," Fez said. "The women up there are even more beautiful than here. I was up there a few weeks ago."

Hyde laughed. "Better not let Red catch you saying that."

"What could he do?" Fez asked with an hmph of cockiness.

"Stick his foot up your ass," Eric replied.

Fez visibly shuddered and said, "Then I'd best keep it to myself."

Michael changed the subject back to a possible destination. "No, I don't like Canada; I hear it's too cold up there."

"Not at all times of the year," Randy said, staring at Kelso like he was an idiot. "In fact, during the summer it's often hotter than it is here."

"No it's not," Kelso said with confidence.

"No it's true," Eric interrupted suddenly. "This is true too; the southern most point of Canada is farther south than we are."

"You guys are pulling my chain," Kelso said, not believing a word of what they said.

Hyde jumped in on the conversation. "Whether you believe it or not, a honeymoon in Canada isn't all that bad. If Fez says there are hot woman up there, I suggest you go."

Eric said, "It's his honeymoon, he shouldn't go up there to pick up other women."

"This is Kelso we're talking about," Hyde replied.

Eric wanted nothing more than to disagree with his friend, but nodded solemnly. He knew the chance of Kelso staying faithful during his marriage was remote, but he held out some hope.

"That's right," Randy agreed, "This is Kelso we're talking about, the man who bedded a mother and daughter in the same hour while he was still in high school. He'd never be able to stay with one woman."

"Shut up!" Kelso yelled, causing the others to chuckle. "I will to be faithful to Brooke." He calmed down, grinned suddenly and said, "Besides, she's still the best I've ever had."

"The best?" Fez asked in shock. "You mean that out of all the women you've slept with, Brooke was the best?"

"Uh huh," Kelso nodded with a big grin.

"I guess those spreads in Playboy about librarians are true," Eric said to Hyde, who chuckled a second later. Eric knew that if Brooke could keep his friend satisfied sexually, the chances of him cheating would decrease substantially.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Kelso said with a laugh. He pulled out a beer for each of them and tossed it to them. Everyone but Fez caught there's, which prompted the four of them to tease him relentlessly at his miss.

"Nice hands, Fez," Hyde said. "I haven't seen such a bad miss since I saw you dancing on tour."

"Hey," Fez yelled in anger.

Randy said, "He needs a baseball mitt."

Everyone laughed again, Fez souring even more as Michael added to the fun. "He has little girl hands. I think my daughter could have caught that!"

Eric laughed with them all. It felt like old times as they ribbed and joked with another at someone else's expense. He felt bad for Fez at some level, but not catching a beer can was rather pathetic. "I suggest you catch the next can," he said.

Fez grumbled and picked up his can off the floor. He waited until he was sure it was settled down before he opened it. As he finally opened it, he was showered with beer, causing the guys to burst out into uproariously laughter.

Eric couldn't help but join in the laughter. He felt his pity for Fez grow by the second, but the sight was too hilarious to keep his mirth at bay. "Do you need a towel?" he asked, opening his own beer and taking a small sip.

"It'd be nice," Fez replied with a sneer, wiping beer from his eyebrows with the back of his hand.

Smiling in humor, Eric vaulted over the back of the couch and galloped up the stairs to find a towel for his beer covered friend. Walking into the kitchen he saw his mother, Brooke, Donna and Jackie sitting around the table and fretting over a few magazines.

"I have a hundred more magazines at home," Jackie said.

Kitty turned to her son, who she had just seen enter, and said, "Eric, why don't you give Jackie a ride back to her place so she can get her magazines?"

"Mom," he replied in frustration, remembering to lie convincingly. And he had done it rather well he thought to himself as he frowned in aggravation at his mother. She smiled slightly at him though. "The guys and I have just opened up the beer."

"Then you're still able to drive," she replied. "Go take Jackie and help her, then you'll be back in a matter of no time."

Eric knew better than to argue with his mother, even if it was all an act.

Donna said, "By the time you're back Brooke may have even picked a honeymoon spot already."

"You wouldn't dare?" Jackie said with wide eyes. "I have to show you my travel magazines first."

As Eric grabbed the keys from the bowl on the counter, he said, "Kelso has already agreed with Fez that he and Brooke should go to Canada."

"Canada!" Brooke said rather loudly.

Eric nodded and left through the side door while saying, "Fez said something about the women there being more beautiful than the women here." He heard a few curses of anger as he walked to the Vista Cruiser and got in. He rolled down the window as the night was still warm. The sun was beginning to set in the west as he said, "Hurry up Jackie, I don't have all day!"

Jackie jumped from her chair and ran to the car. "I'll be back in a bit," she said as she disappeared from the kitchen quickly. Running around to the other side, Eric opened the door for her from the inside. She got in and closed the door.

Eric hit the pedal and they were out of the driveway in a matter of seconds. As soon as they hit the pavement of the road, he sighed and dropped the act. "I swear my mom purposely did that just so we could be alone."

"She's really a great woman," Jackie said aimlessly.

He couldn't agree more and simply nodded his head. As they continued down the road and towards her apartment that was more than a few blocks away, he rolled the window up half way. It wasn't cold, but the wind was stinging his eyes.

Jackie piped up. "Did you see what happened back there?"

"What?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"Did you see how I jumped all over their wedding and got excited like I used to. The last twenty-four hours had me believing I would never be that excited again."

"Are you saying that you were worried that you still weren't shallow?"

"No," She admonished and slapped his thigh playfully. "I just thought that I had lost all of what I used to be."

Eric smiled and said, "You've been that person for over twenty years, there's bound to be some residual leftovers."

"Residual?" she asked with a mocking frown. "I'd say they're more than likely permanent."

"Well, as long as you're happy with it."

She said, "I am," and folded her hands in her lap. As Eric turned the car down another street, now closer to her apartment, she turned to him with her fingers now interlaced. "What were you and Donna talking about earlier?"

He sighed and said, "She doesn't know if she can leave Point Place or not."

"I thought she decided a few years ago that she would stay?"

"She stayed because of me, but now that I'm not in that part of her life anymore she's thinking about actually moving away and going back to school."

Jackie said, "Donna has always been the most ambitious of us. Her dreams were always the most attainable, yet they were always incredible achievements. I think I can say that she could probably be anything she wanted to be."

"And that's why I told her that she would have to decide eventually."

"What about Randy?"

Eric nodded again. "I told her that he wasn't quite as attached to their friends as she was, so it was likely that he would go with her."

"How can you be certain?" she asked politely.

"They love each other," he replied.

She had thought there might have been a little tension in his voice when he said that, but he looked unaffected. "Did she tell you that?"

"She did."

"How did you feel when she told you that?" She didn't expect an answer, because like Kitty said before, men like Eric and Red tended to hold their feelings in, never sharing them with anyone.

Eric sighed and knew he'd have to tell her. Jackie was always a very curious person and he knew it never hurt to reassure her that he was well over Donna. "I felt happy for her. I knew she had been struggling with my return, but her conviction of love proves that she has moved on too."

"Did you really feel nothing the first time you saw her again?"

He knew she was being a little insecure, but he didn't mind. "I felt absolutely nothing. Like I've said before, I was over her before we even split. I was just nervous about voicing it, but when she decided we should see other people I realized that it was what I wanted as well."

"So you don't love her?" she asked flat out.

With a shake of his head he said, "Not in that way anymore."

"Then you still love her in another way?"

"She's been my neighbor for years, there's a love that borders on bother and sister. I don't know exactly how that's supposed to feel since Laurie and I hate each other, but I think I'm stronger for it."

"She's your best friend then?"

He didn't like all the questions, but he knew it was one of those traits he'd have to get used to until she gained more confidence in herself. "No, she's something else. Hyde has always been my best friend, hell, he's practically my brother."

Jackie smiled and said, "I've always looked to Donna like a sister, maybe that's why I was rude to her sometimes, but I think her friendship helped me so much in the past that I should really say thank you."

"You better do it soon," he replied.

"Why?"

He pulled the car up to her apartment complex and turned off the engine. Stepping out of the car and walking around to close hers behind her as she got out, he said, "She's going to decide to leave."

"How are you so sure?"

"I could see that she only wanted confirmation from me that it would be okay. I think she was lying when she said it was her friends holding her back. It was me and she needed to be sure there was nothing left between us so she could leave with a clear conscience."

Jacking gently took his hand in hers as they walked to the entrance. "She could have come to me about it."

Eric opened the front door and led her into the entranceway, eventually hitting the button on the wall for the elevator a second later. "She was worried about you."

"How so?"

"How do you think?" he asked with a grin as the doors opened and they entered. "She said that you had offered to make her breakfast this morning."

"Is that far out of my character to ask her that? I can't believe I was ever that inconsiderate."

He gripped her hand tighter and nudged her with his shoulder. "Like I've said before, I don't think you meant to be that mean, but only did it because that's all you knew."

As the elevator moved up to the third floor and the doors opened, she said, "You make it sound as if I was as dense as cow."

He guided her to the apartment door and she let go of his hand to unlock it. "I may have thought you a little dense then, but that was the past."

"Are you making fun of me?" she asked with a smirk as she unlocked the door and entered the apartment backwards, her eyes on his.

"I'm only being honest," he replied as he followed her in and made sure his shoes were clean.

Jackie smiled at him and went around the island counter towards her bedroom. "The box is in my closet."

"Box?" he asked as he followed her in and was almost blinded by the sheer magnitude of what was her room. The place was painted purple and pink, the walls lined with posters of unicorns and bands he had never even heard of. If her walls weren't overbearing enough, the dozens of stuffed animals laying on her king sized bed were. Not only were there dozens, but the bed sheets were completely pink with little frilly white lace along the edges. "My god," he whispered to himself in shock. Save for an ordinary dresser and hamper by the opposite wall from the door, the place looked like a dollhouse. It was almost overwhelming.

"Not even Fez has seen my room," she said as she went to the closet and opened it.

"You need such a big bed?" he asked as he continued to look around in amazement. Jackie was suddenly in front of him with her hands against his chest.

She looked up seductively and said, "Now I do?" When his eyebrows rose to an impossible level, she smiled. "There's more than enough room for the two of us."

"There is, isn't there?" he said as he looked to the bed. "More than enough room."

Seeing the look of guilty evil in his eyes, she quickly said, "Not now though."

"No," he let out in a heavy sigh. She quickly bent into the closet, her rear end jutting out enough that her shirt pulled up a little and he could see her pink underwear peeking out from her jeans. "Pink panties too?" he asked playfully.

"Stop staring and pick up this box," she said as she pulled it out and put it by his feet. She couldn't lift it herself, but she could drag it. When he grinned and bent over, picking up the box and straining with the effort, she said, "I think I'll repaint the walls and pick up some new bed sheets."

"Why, if you like it you should keep it," he said as he juggled the box into a comfortable position and went back out the door and out into the kitchen.

"I used to like it, but now I don't know. You always say that the past should be the past, and I think those bright colors might just remind me too much of the past. Plus, now they seem more crude and intrusive on my eyes."

"I'll repaint it for you if you wish," he said as he hefted a knee up to put the box back into a comfortable position. When she just smiled and opened the door, he dropped the box on the counter and closed the door.

"What are you doing?" she asked, but was soon pressed up against the door with his lips on hers. Any previous questions were tossed aside as she felt his tongue slowly part her lips.

Kissing her with all he had, he eventually pulled away and said, "I haven't kissed you since dinner."

"So you feel like you need to attack me right here?" she asked.

Seeing her smirk widen, he pushed a hand through her hair and down the length of it. "Do you not want me to?"

She shook her head quickly and said, "No," as her body tingled at his touch. "No, never stop," she said once, before kissing him back with vigor.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Kitty sat with Donna and Brooke at the kitchen table, flipping through the few bridal magazines the redhead had found. Red was in the living room watching a hockey game and she knew that he would be content to do until it was over. Helping Brooke plan a wedding wasn't something that she had on her mind for the evening, but she wouldn't pass up the opportunity to the help the girl. She was marrying a Kelso after all, and would need all the help in the world.

As Donna pointed out something in one of the magazines, Brooke leaning over the table to take a look, Kitty noticed Fez walk into the kitchen. "Looking for something?" she asked as he frowned.

"Yeah, Eric said he was coming up to get me a towel. My beer exploded on me."

Donna laughed, but Kitty said, "Jackie had some magazines back at your apartment that I sent her and Eric to go get." When Fez's eyes narrowed and his posture stiffened, she could have sworn he was going to curse, but he quickly calmed and removed a dish towel from the drawer by the sink. When he was about to clean his neck and face, she said, "As long as you're up here, why don't you just go and use the bathroom to clean up?"

Fez nodded reluctantly and disappeared into the living room, leaving the three of them alone again.

Brooke checked her watch and said, "Shouldn't Eric and Jackie be back by now?"

Donna looked to the clock above the telephone and nodded. "I wonder what's taking them so long."

-

Jackie fumbled with his shirt, her fingers shaking nervously and she bit his lip in frustration.

"Ouch," Eric said pulling back and touching his lip. "What was that for?"

"Sorry," she whimpered. "I was trying to remove your shirt and I couldn't. My hands are shaking like crazy."

He gently reached out and took her hands in his. Her hands were shaking quite a bit, but as soon as he had his own on them they stopped. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm nervous as hell."

"I hate to ask why, but I must," he said with a grin.

"I don't know," she replied. "Maybe I'm not ready for this yet,"

Eric looked into her eyes. There was a slight narrowing to them. Maybe it was fear. "We won't do anything you don't want to."

"Really?" she asked, the heat of the moment suddenly disappearing like the humidity after a storm.

"Really," he echoed in sentiment, kissing her forehead and stroking her hair.

"Thank you," she whispered softly as she hugged him.

Eric simply continued to smile and finally let go of her. "It's okay to be scared."

"I'm not scared," she said instantly to defend herself.

"I know you're scared," Eric said not a second later. "I could feel it in your hands and see it in your eyes."

"Am I that readable?" she asked.

"No, but no one's eyes lie."

"Not even yours?" she asked, playfully slapping his chest.

"Well, maybe just mine."

"Braggart!"

"Flatterer," he snapped back between a laugh.

"We best get back before anyone realizes that we've been gone longer than we should have."

Eric nodded and straightened his shirt. Things had become pretty heated between them against the door, and he was sure if she hadn't stopped it they would have been disrobed in a matter of minutes. He knew he was ready for any sexual intimacy they might partake in, but Jackie wasn't, and her reluctance to move farther clearly showed it.

Jackie said, "I know what I said earlier about us having time alone in the future to crawl under the covers, but the more I think about it the more anxious and nervous I get. I shouldn't be acting like this though, sex is just sex."

"Not between us it won't be," he said abruptly. "It won't just be sex, Jackie. It will be something more spectacular than you could ever imagine."

"You sure sound cocky, mister. What do you have planned for the big night?" She teased a button on his shirt and looked up at him seductively.

He swelled at the incredible look in her eyes, but managed to calm himself and said, "First it'll be a surprise because I think we both know that it will be spontaneous. Sex on a timeline is ridiculous and I'm not going to hype it much more than I am now. I'm just letting you know that when the time comes it will be something special, for both of us."

Jackie smiled and leaned up to kiss him. He met her half way and she pressed her lips onto his. She wondered how he kept his breath so incredibly fresh, but she removed her lips a second later and said. "I don't think I need any reassurances that it will be special. I already feel like we've started something special."

"That would make two of us then," he said as he let go of her arm and hefted the box on the counter back into his hands. Jackie quickly opened the door and he went out into the hallway.

Jackie said, "Enough talk about sex, how about you tell me when you're going to come over and repaint my room?"

"How about next week? I have the whole summer off and once I find a job for the fall I'll be free to do pretty much anything."

"Just remember to consult me before you paint."

Eric laughed. "Why, don't you want a black room?"

"Heavens no!" Jackie blurted out as she put the key in and locked the door.

"Come on, it would look cool."

"I don't want something cool. I'd rather have something contemporary and modern."

"Hippie wallpaper it is," he said as he began to move towards the elevator.

"I don't think so!"

"Too sixties?" he asked with a grin and a laugh.

"Way before my time," she said.

"You were born in the sixties remember."

"That doesn't mean I remember all of it. Or that I cared particularly much for it."

Eric hit the button for the elevator with the corner of the box and said, "The sixties were a long time ago. Even the seventies seem like ages ago."

Jackie snorted in laughter as they entered the now open elevator. "It was only two years ago."

"Yeah, maybe so, but it feels like it's been a decade."

"That's only because you've experienced more than most do in a decade."

Eric smiled as they began to go down. "It never amazes me how odd it is to come home and see how much things can change in such a short amount of time."

Jackie said, "You should believe it better than most. Just look at me, I'm a completely different person than I was thirty-six hours ago, thanks to you."

He shrugged and stepped out of the elevator. Jackie held the door open for him as he went to the Vista Cruiser. She quickly scurried around him and opened one of the back doors so he could put the box in. "I still have trouble comprehending the complete one-eighty you've made." He set the box in and said, "I figured you'd transform somewhat, but in such a short time as you did was truly amazing."

"You were the one who said I was much smarter than I tend to let on." She got into the passenger seat as he walked around the car.

Eric got in and started the vehicle. "I guess I did say that. I must have been too jealous to think you were smarter than me."

"You're pretty smart, Eric," she said. "But I'm smarter." She stuck her tongue out at him. In some ways she still felt like a kid around him, but she was never one to get embarrassed about her actions.

"Looking to lick envelopes?" he asked. When she scrunched her noise, he said, "Didn't anyone ever tell you that if you do that too often that it'll stay like that?"

"Old wives tale," she stated as the car began to pick up speed.

"I don't know," he said, "the phrase had to come from somewhere. Something like that just doesn't spring up out of nowhere. It wouldn't surprise me if it has happened."

"Yeah right," she replied as she leaned her arm on the window sill and put her cheek on her knuckles.

"Every little superstition or legend has to be started by someone or some event. Even if they sound preposterous and ridiculous there had to be a reason why it becomes what it does."

Jackie said, "People like telling stories and trying to make people scared."

"Whatever you say, Jackie." He let the matter drop.

She didn't though, and said, "What the hell is that?"

"What's what?"

"That tone of voice! It's as if you believe those silly superstitions more than you believe me. Trust me; they're all a bunch of crap."

Eric said, "I'd think you'd have newfound appreciation for things odd and a little far out."

"What?" she asked.

"You've gone from being a self centered egotistical little brat to a well balanced very intelligent woman in less than two days. If that can happen, then that must mean that almost anything is possible."

She could see he was making sport of her, but she wasn't about to give in. "Not all things are possible, you can't grow a pair of boobs?"

"But I can get fat and where a bra!" Eric said with a snort. That brought a loud laugh out of her.

"You do that and I'll make sure you never touch me again."

"Get fat?" Eric asked with a skeptical eyebrow.

"No, wear a bra. The minute you start cross dressing is the minute this relationship ends."

"Oh, so we're in a relationship now? I didn't think it was getting so serious between us."

Jackie couldn't keep a straight face at his high voice, but she restrained her laughter to get in the winning word. "Men only say that when there's another woman and they only need to string me along for sex!"

Eric's eyes went round and he shook his head a second later. He couldn't tell if she was being serious or only joking, but he decided not to press her further. Gently reaching over and taking her hand, he brought it up to his lips and kissed it. "I don't need any action on the side. I went two years without a woman in my arms and I never thought twice about it."

Gripping his fingers tightly, she said, "Maybe you were meant to be a monk?" He laughed at her and kissed her hand again. She smiled warmly.

"I have a bumpy head. I'd look ridiculous shaved."

"And I thought I was the vain one," she said with mocking laughter.

"No, you're the shallow one." That earned him a playful punch in the shoulder that he feigned getting hurt by. "They cancel each other out, right?"

"Right," she answered, still giggling a little. Taking a deep breath, she looked out the window as she held onto his hand. If this was how love was supposed to feel, light heartened and fun, she could come to admit that she might actually love Eric. He made her heart beat easy when around him, yet made her sweat when he was touching her body. It was a strange mix of emotions that were running through her, and they were making her happier than she had ever been in her life.

Eric allowed the silence to linger until they were closer to his place. When they were almost at his driveway, he slowed down and pulled her hand. She responded and leaned over, kissing him.

"This is our last kiss for the night, isn't it?" she asked with a pout.

"I'm sorry to say, it likely is." He saddened too, but kissed her again and said, "But you never know, everyone might be so drunk tonight that we might be able to kiss and they'll never remember come morning."

She laughed and said. "I doubt it."

"Me too," he said with a sigh, letting go of her hand as he parked the car in the driveway and got out. Slipping the keys into his pocket he went around to the other side and retrieved the box. He hefted it into his arms and made for the door. Jackie had opened it for him and he quickly went in a dropped it on the table.

"What took you so long?" Donna asked, looking up at them.

Eric feigned annoyance and said, "We had to go into Jackie's room to get the box out of her closet and I had a seizure from the colors."

"You know," Donna said with a frown, "I've never seen the inside of your room Jackie."

"And you won't until Eric repaints it," the dark haired spitfire said.

"You're going to paint her room?" Donna asked.

Seeing the shock on his former girlfriend's face, he opened the box for them. "You say one little thing about the bright colors and the next thing you know you're agreeing to repaint it."

"Why in the world would agree to paint her room?" Brooke asked.

"Actually," he responded with a sheepish grin, "I offered to, and even though it was rhetorical in nature, she caught me and now I'm stuck." He tossed a few magazines on the table and said, "I'm not doing anything all summer anyways, so I have the time."

"I didn't know you could paint, honey," Kitty said.

Eric shrugged. "It can't be too hard. I've seen dad do it enough times to know I can do a good job." Looking at the rest of the box and remembering that his friends were waiting for him downstairs, he said, "What am I doing, I should be downstairs."

Jackie fixed her chair, sat down and watched Eric disappear from the kitchen. She quickly turned her eyes back to the box on the table as to not raise suspicion. When both Brooke's eyes and Donna's were glued to her she said, "What!"

"How did you get him to paint your room?" Donna asked. "We want the truth."

"He offered," she answered, pulling out a few more magazines.

"I don't believe you," Donna said.

"Fine, then don't," Jackie replied as she flipped through a magazine.

"Stop it girls," Kitty announced loudly. "Let's help Brooke plan a wedding and maybe just maybe I'll make some martinis." All three girls smiled slightly at that.

Donna asked Brooke, "Have you thought about finding a place to marry Kelso where there are no sharp corners?" The tall librarian smiled slightly and she grinned. "I'd hate to see him hurt his eye."

-

Eric went down the stairs to find the guys already into the second case of beer. There were cans littered all over the floor and table. Hyde was belching loudly while Fez already looked a little buzzed.

"Let's make him wear a dress," Kelso said loudly.

"No," Hyde replied, "we've done that so many times it's not funny anymore."

"I got it," Randy said suddenly as Eric stood behind the couch and watched them. "We strip Fez down to his underwear and then we take the shower curtain and make him wear it as a cape."

"Then we stand him up in the back of the El Comino and drive around," Hyde finished excitedly.

"Are any of you sober enough to drive?" Eric asked, sounding suddenly like Mr. Responsible.

"I doubt it," answered Kelso as he drained his can and crushed it, and then tossed it behind the couch.

"Eric hasn't drunk anything yet," Hyde said.

"No, I'm not going to be the one who gets pulled over by the cops for the numerous laws we'd be breaking," Eric said.

"Come on Forman, It's not often we get to do this anymore."

Eric stared hard at Hyde, but eventually relented and said, "Fine, but let's do this now, while there's some light out."

"Why, what time is it?" Randy asked.

Eric looked at his watched and said. "It's almost nine."

"Then let's go," Hyde declared as he stood up and pointed to Fez. "Kelso, you get his pants, Randy, the shower curtain, and I'll go load the rest of the beer into the back of the El Comino!"

"I'll go get the camera," Eric said with a laugh as he vaulted back up the stairs and into the kitchen. Finding the camera in the leftmost cupboard above the counter, he took it out.

"What are you doing with the camera?" Kitty asked

"Oh, we're going to strip Fez to his underpants then tie the shower curtain around his neck. Then we're going to parade him up and down the streets in the back of Hyde's car.

"Are you sure that's safe?" she asked with a motherly tone.

"I'll be driving, so I'll be fine."

"No, I meant Fez."

Eric looked at his mother and the three girls sitting around the table. "I guess we won't know unless we try. Care to watch?" When all four of them shook their heads, he said, "You're loss," and went through the door and out to he driveway. By the time he had the camera slung over his shoulder, Randy and Hyde had a couple lawn chairs in the back and Fez was dressed only in a pair of red underwear with the shower curtain tied around his neck. "That sure didn't take long," he said.

"It never does when the victim is a willing participant," Randy said with a big grin. He and Hyde sat in the lawn chairs while Fez stood between them facing the front with his hands on the roof.

Fez took another swig of beer and proclaimed, "For truth, justice, and the alcoholic way!"

Eric laughed along with everyone else and went around the driver's side door. He opened it but didn't get in. Handing the camera to Hyde, he asked, "Where's Kelso?"

"Here," the large bumbling idiot said as he came out of the garage. "I found a cooler and a bunch of ice." He handed it over to Randy and got into the passenger side. "Let's go Eric, while there's still light out."

Nodding, Eric slipped in and rolled down the window. The night wasn't particularly warm, in fact it was a little on the nippy side, but he had rolled the window down so he could communicate with his friends in the back. "We all good?" he asked. When Hyde said they were, he fired up the engine and slipped the transmission into reverse.

As the car began to back out of the driveway, Hyde took a drink and said, "Let's just hope it doesn't get too cold."

"Why's that?" Randy asked.

"Then Fez would disappoint the ladies."

Randy laughed loudly and put the rest of the beer in the cooler. "It's already established that he's small in the pants."

"This will only confirm it," Hyde said loudly, joining in on the laughter.

"Can I do this naked?" Fez asked, almost falling over drunk.

Hyde and Randy said, "No!" in unison and Hyde leaned back slightly to stay far away from his friend's crotch. "You take off your underpants and we'll throw you out."

"You wouldn't," Fez said sluggishly.

"We sure as hell would," Randy stated as he opened a beer and took a deep chug.

"Up, up and away!" Fez hollered as the car finally began to roll down the street.

Eric made sure to keep the car going straight and looked into the rearview mirror. He was quickly presented to his friend's crotch and moved the mirror away with disgust. "No one needs to see that so close," he said, Kelso laughing at him with a beer in hand.

With his beer still in hand, Kelso leaned out the window to take a look back into the bed. "Hey Eric, take a sharp turn and see if all three of them will fall out," he said.

"I don't think so," Eric replied as he took a look back to make sure everyone was still in place before he picked up a little more speed. He knew that what they were doing was not only dangerous, but more than likely illegal, but it wasn't something that would land them in jail, or even get a ticket for. The police in Point Place weren't exactly the finest around, plus they had Kelso, who was in fact a police officer. If they were pulled over they would likely only get a simple warning.

Passing the houses of the suburbs and making their way towards the main strip, where all the people would be, Eric looked in the side mirror. The sun had set almost forty minutes ago, but the pink in the sky still provided enough light for him to see the three in the back rather clearly. It would get more difficult when night hit completely, but the street lights would make it easier.

"How we doing back there?" Eric yelled as he slowed to a crawl and took a corner. With Fez standing and both Randy and Hyde sitting in only lawn chairs, he had to be careful.

"We're great!" Hyde yelled as he took another swig of beer.

"I'm flying," Fez cried out as he began to crawl atop the roof.

"Get back down here," Hyde said, grabbing his friend's socked foot and pulling him down. "Don't even think about it! I don't want you denting the roof, you hear me?"

"Yes, Red!" Fez snapped back with a sharp laugh and a burp. He took another drink of beer and tossed the empty can onto the street.

"Don't litter," Eric said as he watched a can hit the curb behind him.

"Relax," Kelso said. "Now, we're coming up on the Hub, honk the horn." He pushed his way out of the window and sat on the edge of the door and pounded the roof, calling the attention of everyone.

"We're too old for this," Eric commented to himself as he reluctantly began to pound on the horn, all the while making sure they went slow so that everyone could get a good look at the near naked man in a shower curtain cape.

-

Red went into the kitchen and to the fridge, opening it and retrieving another beer. "Where is everyone?" he asked as he turned to the women at the table. "I can't hear he idiots downstairs anymore."

"Oh, they were going to parade Fez naked down the street in the back of Steven's car," Jackie replied aimlessly as she kept her nose in a magazine.

Kitty turned around as her husband grunted and went for the phone. "Who are you calling?" she asked.

"The police," Red replied.

-

The first pass had brought about a very loud reaction from the many people on the sidewalk. The second pass had given the people in the hub sufficient time to come out and cheer. Eric couldn't help but be amazed at the amount of people who had come out onto the sidewalks to watch.

"Wow, we should have bought some fireworks or something," Kelso said as he drank another beer in one fluid motion.

Eric knew all the guys except himself were drunk and boisterous, Fez being the loudest of them all. Even inside the car he could clearly hear the foreigner yell and scream for people to look at him. "I'm Superman," he would say, each time causing Eric to grin wide and shake his head. It seemed like good old times.

As he pulled around and went for a third pass, a loud siren rang and two police cars filled Main Street by the stoplight and parked.

"Ram through them!" Kelso said, getting back into the car.

"I don't think so," Eric replied loudly as he came to a slow stop. The police officers, two from each car, got out and walked towards their vehicle, looks of astonishment and disbelief slapped across their faces. The largest of the officers walked right up to his window.

"Care to tell me what's going on here?" the cop asked in a deep voice.

Eric turned his head and leaned out the window. "Do I really have to explain it?" he asked.

"No, I guess not," the officer replied. "You haven't been drinking have you?"

Shaking his head, Eric said, "No, but I can guarantee the other four have."

"He's right Sarge," a young officer said as he looked into the passenger door and shone his flashlight on Kelso. "They all look drunk."

"Can I get out sir?" Eric asked. When the Sergeant nodded, he quickly stepped out and stood beside him. "What's to be done here?"

"I would give you a ticket, but I'm impressed enough that you were able to keep from drinking so that this could be less dangerous." He motioned his flashlight at Fez and the other two guys in the back. "Still, I have to do something."

Eric grinned slyly and said, "Why not put all four of them in the drunk tank for the night? I'll pick them up in the morning."

"You know," the Sergeant said, "that's not a bad idea."

Laughing as the officer instructed his fellow policemen to cuff the men in the back of the car, Eric said, "How did you and your men get here so quick?"

"We received a tip."

"From who?"

"Red Forman."

Eric laughed and said, "Figures."

"What figures, son?" The grizzled Sergeant asked.

"I'm Eric Forman."

The Sergeant laughed and said, "I've heard some things about your father. I'd have half the mind to turn you and your friends over to him, but I think they'd be safer in the cell for the night."

"No doubt," Eric laughed. As the officers cuffed Randy, Hyde and Kelso, Fez danced around the in the back, taunting the police officers. As one officer hopped in to subdue the foreigner, the short dark man jumped out and began to run down the street. Eric snickered as the curtain around Fez's neck billowed in the wind, the young man running in a jagged formation from the excessive alcohol in his system. It was quite the sight, three officers chasing him while both he and the Sergeant couldn't help but laugh. The other guys were against the side of the car in cuffs, cheering on their drunken friend. The other people on the street were doing the same.

"How about you take the car back and we'll see you in the morning," the Sergeant suggested.

"Okay," Eric replied with a small laugh.

"We'll take care of this, one way or another."

Eric said nothing and got back into the car, looking into the rearview mirror. At the same moment the three polices officers had just caught Fez, but backed away quickly as the young man vomited in the street. Chuckling to himself, he put the car into first gear and took off for home. The morning was going to be fun, even if Red chewed him out.

-

Eric could see his father standing in the driveway as he pulled the El Comino in. Turning off the engine and getting out, he slipped the keys into his pocket and said, "Nice one."

Red huffed out a laugh. "And they let you go, isn't that just duckie!"

Shrugging, Eric said, "What can I say, I guess I'm a charmer." His father let out another loud bark of annoyance. "Besides, I still have to go pick them up at the station in the morning." As his father laughed again, the girls came out of the house.

"What happened?" Kitty asked quickly.

"They were cuffed and thrown into the drunk tank," Eric replied.

"They were arrested?" Donna asked in shock.

"No, they weren't arrested, but they thought it best they sleep it off in cell together."

"How drunk were they?" Brooke asked.

Eric grinned and said, "Drunk enough that Fez thought he could elude the cops by running down the street in a cross pattern." Jackie, Donna, Brooke, and his father laughed, but his mother simply shook her head. "Don't worry mom, they'll be sorry for what they did. Oh, and remind me to bring a bottle of aspirin to the station tomorrow."

"Well, as long as they're not charged with anything," Donna said. "Randy's mother wouldn't be too happy if he was. Though I'm not sure she'll be too happy to hear her son is in a jail cell, albeit just for the night."

"At least we know where they are," Kitty said. "Eric can go pick them up in the morning and we can get back to planning Brooke's wedding."

Jackie slapped her hands together and said, "Good, now that we've settled the honeymoon destination, let's pick out the silverware."

Eric followed them into the house and his father was only a step behind. "Where'd you decide to go?" he asked Brooke.

As she sat down in a chair at the table she said, "Hawaii."

Nodding in appreciation, he said, "Not a bad choice."

"Too close to Russia," Red said as he passed through the kitchen and disappeared into the living room.

"Oh don't mind him," Kitty said, opening another magazine. When the girls were all back around the table and Eric by the counter behind her, she looked up at her son. "What are you going to do for the rest of the evening?"

Eric shrugged and said, "Beats me."

"You could help us with Brooke's wedding." Jackie exclaimed suddenly.

He laughed and shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Why not watch the game with your father?"

Eric nodded reluctantly and went into the living room. The evening of fun had come to an abrupt end, but it was worth it to see Fez in that ridiculous getup. Sitting down on the couch, he put a foot up on his knee. The game was almost over, the Blackhawks leading three to one over the Rangers late in the third period.

Red grunted and said, "They should have tossed your ass in jail too."

"I'm the one who suggested it to the officer." His father looked at him a second, then laughed.

"Good one son," he said, "good one"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The rest of the night went horribly sluggish, the girls in the kitchen up until almost midnight, his father having gone to bed around eleven, and he had simply sat on the couch for those hours. Eric and his father hadn't spoken much, but neither had been bothered by it. As Saturday Night Live was almost over, his mother came into the living room.

"Eric?"

"Yeah?" he asked, turning his head.

"Brooke and Donna just left. Jackie's going to sleep in Laurie's room for the night. You don't mind going up there to make sure you sister hasn't hidden any nasty surprises."

Jackie came into the living a second later and he said, "I doubt she's done anything."

"Well, you know your sister and how much she dislikes both you and Steven. She's more than likely hidden a surprise somewhere."

"Then wouldn't you have found it?" he asked.

Kitty smiled and said, "I only go in there to dust, honey."

Eric sighed and followed his mother and Jackie up the stairs. He would have thought his sister would have grown up by now, but there was more than likely a chance that she hadn't. Reaching his sister's room, his mom and Jackie entering first, he said, "I'd be suspect about sleeping in here in the first place."

"Why?" Jackie asked.

"I can feel the evil oozing out of the walls." He shivered for effect, causing his mother to roll her eyes and Jackie to grin.

"Just open the closet, Eric," his mother said.

He simply nodded and opened the closet. When nothing sprang forth, he shut it and looked around the room. "I don't think there is anywhere she could hide something."

"Here, Jackie," Kitty said, "I'm sure Laurie has some pajamas you could wear."

Eric's eyes suddenly went wide and he vaulted toward the dresser. Just as his mother was about to open it, he slammed it back in forcefully.

Kitty shook her head in shock and took a step back. "What, what is it?"

He slowly opened the drawer from the side, peeking into it slightly. "I'd bet there is something in here." Once he had the dresser drawer all the way out, he looked for anything suspicious. It was his sister's underwear drawer, but he wasn't a child anymore. They were just clothes. He removed a pencil from a cup beside her bed and went back to the drawer. He probed around for a few seconds and then smiled when he heard a snap. Lifting the pencil in the air with a satisfied smile, he turned to Jackie and his mother.

"A mouse trap?" Kitty asked in surprise.

"Look, there's a note," Jackie said as she pulled it from the trap where it was taped. "Fez, stay the hell out of my panty drawer." She smiled and handed the note over to Mrs. Forman."

Kitty crumpled the paper in her hand and went to the door. "Make sure she's settled, Eric."

Eric watched in mute shock as his mother left the room, leaving him and Jackie alone. He put the trap on top of the dresser.

"She didn't just tell you to tuck me in did she?" Jackie asked with a grin. When he said nothing, she caught look of surprise on his face. "What is it?"

"My mom just left the two of us alone together. Either she's starting to slip or she's being covertly suggestive." When Jackie's eyebrows rose, he said, "And I doubt she's loosing it."

"Well, who knows, maybe your mom will be the one person who may be a help in all this."

"In all what?" he asked.

"In hiding this," she said as she kissed him. He was surprised, not returning it as she pulled back.

"I'm beginning to think that hiding this isn't such a good idea. Maybe we should just tell everyone." He was horrible at keeping secrets, almost as bad as Fez was.

"No," she said and shook her head. "We promised ourselves we would keep it to ourselves until we're sure our friends are ready for it."

"They may never be ready for it," he said.

Jackie smiled and shrugged, "Then that's their problem, but let's hold off on the revealing part until we're ready."

"Well, when you put it that way, I can agree." She kissed him again, and this time he kissed back.

"Are you going to bed?" she asked.

Eric shrugged and said, "I'm not tired, but I could force myself to sleep. My internal clock is still and little wonky."

"Then you go to bed and I'll be over in a little bit." When his eyes widened, she pushed him out the door and whispered, "Just go to bed."

He stood at the door not moving as it was closed in front of him. As it clicked into place, his eyes finally blinked and he turned and went into his own room. Turning on the light, knowing that his mother had already gone back downstairs to turn off the remaining fixtures, he slipped out of his clothes and crawled into bed. He left the light on for Jackie, not quite sure what she had in store for him, but didn't want her tripping and falling if she did in fact come over.

As the minutes dragged on, he felt himself become dozy. He wasn't tired, but he had learned in Africa to sleep when there was nothing else to do. It was a bad habit since it could wreck havoc with his body, but he always enjoyed a good nap. This one would just be a longer one.

He hadn't had his eyes closed for than a few minutes when he heard a soft knock on the door. Instead of getting up to open it, Jackie did so and peeked her head in.

"Close your eyes," she said softly."

He nodded and did so. Through his eyelids he could see the light suddenly go out and he said, "I'll need that to see you."

"No you won't, the moonlight is enough."

"Are you sure?"

"Just open your eyes and see," She said.

Eric did as she suggested, allowing his eyes to adjust, and once they did his mouth fell open. Jackie was dressed only in her underwear, a simple pink pair, and a very tight yellow shirt with spaghetti straps. The shirt showed her bellybutton and accented her hips perfectly. As she came closer he said, "You're not wearing a bra."

She smiled and sat on the edge of the bed. "It turns out your sister is smaller than I am. I couldn't get the shirt on with my bra on."

"Lucky me," he whispered.

"Yes, very lucky you," she replied. The moonlight was enough for her to see his awkward smile, and she thought for a moment the old Eric might come back, but it quickly vanished and was replaced by a manly grin.

"Well, get in if you're cold," he said as he threw back the covers.

"It is starting to get a little nippy."

"Nipply is more like it." She slapped his arm, but crawled into bed with him and he quickly drew the covers back over. His twin bed wasn't exactly ideal for both of them, but they would make do.

"You're naked!" Jackie exclaimed.

"No, I'm wearing my underwear." He felt her hand find his strap on his underpants.

"Thank god, I've been surprised too many times in the past." When his eyebrows rose, she said, "Michael." When he nodded, she could tell he understood. She kept her finger on him and gently slid it up his torso and onto his right arm. She was on her right side and staring at him. "I still can't believe how big you've become."

"I didn't get that much bigger," he said.

"No, but even just a little is a significant change for you."

"Are you saying I was skinny?" he asked with a raised voice.

"Girl skinny."

"So I've heard you tell Donna many times."

"When?" she asked.

Just barely able to make out her face in the dark, he said, "We talked about everything, your insults were no exception."

Jackie fixed him a glare and kept her hand on his bicep. It was well muscled and taught, more so than any other's she'd felt. "You talked about everything?"

"More or less," he replied.

"Do you want to do that with me too?"

Eric shook his head and said, "There are things I like to keep to myself. It's not that I wouldn't tell you if you asked me, it's just that I'd rather leave some things alone. They are in past or inconsequential."

"I understand. Plus, men aren't supposed to talk about their feelings."

"That's according to my father, and you really shouldn't buy into that. I may not tell you every minuet feeling I get, but I will be as open as I can. The last thing I want is for you to feel as if I purposely alienate you."

"Maybe we should just spend a few minutes every day on the phone to make sure we tell each other how much we care about each other?"

He smiled. "Maybe, but I have bad memory."

"Then I'll call you," she said with a small laugh. After a moment of silence, she tapped his arm with a finger. "What was it like being with Donna? In a relationship with her I mean."

"Are you sure you want to talk about this?" he asked.

"Why not? I'm not tired and you've said that I'm often curious."

"Okay," he replied with a sigh. "What do you want to know?"

Hearing his voice strain a little, she said, "If you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to."

"No, it's fine."

"Are you sure?"

He inched closed to her and draped an arm over her. With his hand on the small of her back, he pulled her closer until he could see her eyes in the moonlight of the room. "I'm sure." He kissed her softly and said, "It wasn't a painful experience."

"All mine were," Jackie said.

"I know," he replied as he gently rubbed her back. "Now, ask away."

She hesitated for a moment, and then opened her mouth. "First off, did you really break up with her because you didn't love her anymore, or were you just trying to make it easier for her to move on? You tend to be rather selfless sometimes."

Eric nodded and said, "I was only selfless in the sense that I ended it quicker than I would have normally done. I wanted it to be over, but I thought she would take it hard, especially if I did it over the phone or a letter. When I spoke to her and she brought up the idea of us breaking apart, I was relieved. Plus I knew that whatever feelings I had for her had dwindled. I believe that if she and I were meant to be, it would have worked out. It didn't and I'm glad."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes, really. If I hadn't broken up with her she would be in this bed with me and not you."

"It's good to know I'm wanted in here."

Eric chuckled at her joke and rubbed her arm. "You're more than wanted, you're needed. I need you Jackie, for some reason you make the nightmares go away."

"Is that what this is all about? You just need me so you can sleep?" Her voice was mocking and he caught her meaning by laughing.

"What am I going to do with you?" he asked suddenly. "Your wit and humor is truly more remarkable than I could have ever imagined."

Ignoring the flattery, not quite sure what to do with it, she let out a satisfied breath and stared at him. The moonlight was just enough so that she could see the outline of his face. "Were you and Donna happy before you left?"

"Not particularly. She was upset that I didn't consult her before making a decision to leave."

Jackie said, "I can see how that would aggravate her."

Eric nodded. "I really should have been thinking about us, but I wasn't." He sighed and said, "We had our moments such as those, but more often than not we were happy."

"Isn't happiness what it's all about?" she asked.

"In essence yes, but happiness isn't simple. We were happy that we had each other, but we weren't happy with the long distance relationship and a bunch of other things."

"You can't be happy about everything."

He said, "No, but when that unhappiness spills over into the essential one, it begins to erode it. Eventually we were both miserable."

"Why did you leave Donna on the day of her wedding?"

He almost told her to stop, but he realized he needed to tell her. The return from her end would allow him to see more into what he and Donna had had. A third party opinion never hurt. "I didn't want her to get stuck in Point Place with me. She had dreams and I felt that marrying me meant she would be settling."

"So you did it for her?"

"I did, and I think it was the beginning to the end. We had been together for a few years after that, but at that moment I knew there wasn't going to be a compromise. I tried to delude myself into believing we could make it work, but she wanted out of here and I wanted to stay."

"Why do you want to stay in Point Place?"

"I wasn't exactly sure for a while, but now that I'm home I know it's because home and family mean more to me than personal gain or money. I want to dedicate my life to raising a family and being a good husband one day. Work is something I would do to support my family"

"And Donna didn't want that?"

Eric smiled and said, "I think she'd like a family, but being around her parents taught her that she would have to get away from Point Place to make something of herself. She wants the exact opposite I do. She doesn't want to define her life by her family; she wants to define it by her job title. In plain terms, she simply wants to prove to herself she can do anything she wants to. And because of that, the last thing on her mind is kids."

"So you knew she would be miserable marrying you and staying here?"

"She might not have been miserable to begin with, but it would eventually come out and the one thing I feared the most was that one day she would leave me. It's insecure, I know, but I'm very traditional in that sense."

"It's not insecure," Jackie replied tenderly. "I know what it's like, my father left me and my mother left me. It's enough to make a girl cry at night."

"It's okay too," he said. "Losing someone is one thing, but when they leave willingly, it's another."

Jackie sniffled and said, "I still visit my father at prison, since he never actually abandoned me. He made a few mistakes and I understand that, but my mother is another story."

"I think I understand. I saw how hurt you were when your mother showed up without any hint she was stopping by. The fact that she didn't think enough to call was enough for me to see why you don't like her."

She wiped away a tear. "I hate that I don't like her. She is my mother after all, but I can't help it."

"And you don't have to let it eat you up," he said as he hugged her under the blankets. "It was her decision to leave, and she didn't do it because of you."

"It feels like that though."

"I know," he cooed as he rested his chin on her forehead. Jackie had abandonment issues, not only simply her mother, but Kelso and Hyde as well. He couldn't begin to pretend what that pain felt like, but he was determined not to abandon her. "I won't leave you."

"Thank you," she said through another sniffle. She kissed him with shaky lips and sniffed again. "Why did they leave me Eric? Why is it that everyone close to me simply leaves me behind?"

"I haven't the faintest clue," he replied as he hugged her tightly. "Maybe they were threatened by your beauty?" She laughed a little in his chest and he smiled at being able to lift her spirits a little. "It doesn't matter why they left you, all that really matters is that you came out of it stronger than before."

Jackie said, "When so many people leave you behind it feels completely opposite. Every time someone would leave me I would get more depressed."

"And you'd lash out with rude behavior and insults."

"Exactly," she said.

"I can't promise you that what we're doing her will work out in the end, but just know for certain that I won't simply dump you."

Jackie laughed softly and laid her left palm on his chest, her arm tucked in-between his stomach and hers. "I hold no fairytale illusion about what we we're starting, but even I know that you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I think you'd marry a girl just because it'd make her happy, not you. You'd gladly accept a life of misery as long as you know the one who would lie beside you night after night was happy."

"Maybe in the past I would have and maybe there is some of that left in me, but I know personal happiness is important too. The last thing I was to be is miserable, but I have accepted that it is a possibility. There is no guarantee we'll both find happiness. The journey we're taking is not all that different, but not all of them have a light at the end of the tunnel."

"Sometimes it's as if you doubt what you're doing."

Eric nodded and said, "It's hard not to when you've seen what I have. Seeing innocent children dead makes no sense and makes you question whether the words peace and harmony exist. Does happiness exist?"

"There will never be world peace and harmony, Eric. All we can do is try our best to make it so where we are. Some people strive on war and chaos, while others want only peace, but either way it means that whatever you are looking for, it will come eventually. You've said a number of times that anything's possible. Hell, just look at us. Who would have ever thought we'd be with one another in the same bed?"

"And half naked and not fooling around," he added.

Jackie laughed softly and tapped her fingers lightly on his chest. "Just because we're almost naked doesn't mean sex is inevitable."

"I know," he replied. "Sometimes holding one another is all that's needed."

"Michael never wanted to hold me," she said suddenly.

Eric wasn't sure if he wanted to hear about her and Michael, but let her continue since it seemed as if she wanted to get it out.

She continued. "All he ever wanted was sex when we were in the same bed. And Steven, well, he never touched me at all. Everything about him was about pain and darkness, even lying in the same bed together was stressful."

"Why did you stay with him so long when he made you miserable?"

"I was lonely, and I guess I was still dealing with the harsh way in which Michael had broken my heart. Sometimes I wonder why Steven and I fooled around that summer. Looking back on it I wish I could take it all back. We may have had our moments of happiness, but his fear of commitment alongside with my fear of loneliness kept us together. It was bound to end ugly like it did."

Eric said, "I've never experienced anything like you did, and I don't think I could ever begin to understand how it made you feel, but you should know that it has made you stronger. You may not see it yourself, but now that you've embraced yourself and accepted that you've been hiding behind a mask for all these years, you will come to understand it eventually. It takes time, much like it has with me, but I now know I'm on the right path."

"I know I'm on the right path," she said as she snuggled her head into his muscled chest. "It's that the future looks so uncertain and frightening when you have no path before your feet."

He smiled and stroked her hair. "I know it feels like you're walking on cobblestones where anyone of them could be a trap, but you'll learn to outmaneuver those booby traps to get closer to what you're searching for. This road doesn't present a paved road of enlightenment and instant happiness; it's often blunt and gruesome. Life is like that, it's not all peaches and daisies."

"Oh, now you go and break my heart. I thought this would be a cake walk." Her condescending and mocking tone caused him to laugh.

"Just remember," he said, "cake is hard to walk in too. You'll get your feet dirty."

Jackie laughed with him and slipped her arm under his and put it around him. His warmth brought about a constant smile and an appreciation for his presence. Even if she was still hesitant to call it love, mainly out of her own fright of getting hurt, she knew she was a lucky woman. Eric was a man with integrity and honor, even though he may never show it openly to anyone other than herself.

Taking a leap of faith, she let it all out on the line. "Eric, I know we've only been together for a few days, but I-I-I,"

Hearing that she was struggling for words, he rubbed her back again and said, "What is it?"

"I'm too scared," she replied.

"You don't have to be scared in my arms, Jackie. You're safe."

His words washed over like a wave of hot water, removing the chill from her body and causing her to relax. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, and said with no hesitation in her voice, "I think I love you."

The silence passed and when she heard nothing from him, she opened her eyes and looked up at him. The moonlight had dimmed somewhat and she was unable to make out his features. "Eric?" she asked softly, thinking she had ruined things.

He struggled with what she had said; especially because he wasn't sure if a woman could ever love him. When she said his name again, he said, "You think you love me? Well, I think I can let you think you love me,"

"So you think you might love me too?" she asked hopefully, not bothering to try to understand what he had just said. His words came out so confusing it almost made her head hurt.

"Might is the right word," he said. "Don't mistake me, I care for you deeply, but love is such a strong word and I've only loved once."

Jackie placed her hand on his cheek. "Are you afraid of love?"

"No!" he replied with authority.

"Yes you are," she said with a grin, "but I am too. Love is painful, but it can be wonderful too. You know that."

"Are you willing to deal with that pain if it comes?" he asked, suddenly becoming more of the authority figure in the conversation.

"I don't know," she said finally.

"That's what I thought. How about we don't say it to one another until we know for sure? Just because you think you might love me doesn't mean you do. Feelings like that take time to develop, and the fact that it could happen so quickly, well, frankly it frightens me."

"Me too," she echoed in sentiment and fright.

"Then let's keep it to ourselves until we're sure. When people say it to one another, things change."

"How so?"

Eric said, "There comes a certain expectation from each person that their partner has to live up to those feelings. I don't know I could yet, so that's why I'm so hesitant. I admire you for taking such a bold leap of faith, but I could sense you did it because you don't want to lose me."

"I don't want to lose you , Eric," she said with a sniffle. "I've lost everyone."

He sighed and closed his eyes. "I can't promise anything, but I can promise you that no matter what happens, I'll always be here, whether it is as the man you may one day love, or simply as your friend. Point Place is my home and I don't intend to leave again."

"Me either," she said as she hugged him until her eyes became heavy. Sleep came quickly as she was emotionally exhausted.

Eric stayed awake for a while longer, wondering if he was ever capable of loving again.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

His body hadn't needed much sleep and he was up just after seven, well before his parents and well before he knew Jackie would awake. Slipping out of her arms that were still holding him in her sleep, he gently lifted the blankets and got out. He did so as delicately as possible, making absolute sure not to wake her. Sighing as he finally got to his feet, he realized that he hadn't had such a great night of sleep in a long time. It was her he knew, she made the nightmares disappear. The sun had just arisen and he easily found a pair jeans and a t-shirt, slipped them on and left the room.

He plodded down the stairs slowly as to not wake anyone else. The house seemed perfectly still, as if trapped in time as the only constant among the many things that evolved. His mother had gotten the place to her liking years before and seemed unwilling to change it. Into the kitchen he went, pushing the swinging door slowly and finding Sam hunkered over the table sleeping. He went over and tapped her shoulder.

"Huh?" Sam said as she slowly opened her eyes. She thought it was Steven, but instead it was Eric.

"What are you doing sleeping on the table?" Eric asked with a half laugh.

"I was waiting for Steven to get home."

"He's down at the police station."

"He got arrested?"

Eric shook his head. "No, he, Fez, Randy and Kelso were all drunk. The cops just threw them in a cell for the night."

"Oh," Sam replied with a heavy sigh. "Another felony and he goes to prison."

"Why don't you go to bed?" he suggested.

"I think I'll do that," she replied, spinning the chair around and getting off.

Eric watched as she went downstairs, her footsteps echoing until she was in the basement. Sighing, he pushed the chair in at the table and went to the fridge. It had been a while since he had made his own breakfast, but he was sure he hadn't lost the knack. In minutes he had the bacon cooking, a few eggs in the pan and a few slices of toast on the go.

There was a knock at the back door and he turned to see a slightly unkept Donna, her hair a little frazzled, but she was dressed appropriately. He made sure his eggs weren't burning and went over to the door, unlocking it for her.

Donna slid the door over and stepped in. "God, Eric, when did you start waking up at such hours?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied as he flipped his eggs over.

"I had trouble sleeping knowing that Randy was locked up all night."

Eric nodded and turned the stove element off. "Well, as long as he's with the other three he's fine."

"I know," she replied, "but I still worry." When he nodded again, she frowned. "Now tell me why in the world are you up?"

He said, "My internal clock is still adjusting." He felt like that was enough to silence her, and she agreed by not voicing anything. "Do want some breakfast," he asked.

"Sure, but you finish with yours and I'll make my own, you always burn my eggs."

Eric laughed and said, "I can't help it I like my eggs with a little brown around the edges."

"No, I guess you can't," she replied dryly. When he finished with his toast and eggs, he put them alongside the bacon on his plate and went to the table. She quickly stepped up and took over, making her own breakfast.

Eric went to the fridge and retrieved the orange juice, along with a glass from the cupboard. Sitting back in the chair, he took a bite of his over easy eggs and noticed a wet spot on the table. "Ugh," he said in disgust as he got up and went to the sink.

"What?" Donna asked as she heard him.

"Sam drooled on the table in her sleep."

"Sam slept on the table?"

"Yeah," he replied, "she had waited up for Hyde but fell asleep. She's down in their room right now." He quickly soaked a dishcloth and wiped up the spittle from the table. Putting the cloth back in the sink, he ran water over it and then turned off the tap. Getting back to his food before it got cold, he shoveled in a mouthful of eggs and toast.

"Eric, when do your parents get up?" a voice asked as it pushed through the swinging door.

Eric's ears perked up as he heard Jackie's voice. He had silently hoped she would sleep for a couple more hours so he could go alone to pick the guys up at the station. As his head spun around, he heard Donna intake sharply. A second later he realized what his former girlfriend had been surprised about. Jackie was still almost naked, only in her panties and Laurie's tight little shirt.

"Jackie!" Donna said loudly.

"Oh, Donna," Jackie exclaimed as she came to a sudden stop, staring at the larger woman. When the redhead's eyes traveled up and down her body in what could only be described as shock, she said, "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too," Donna replied through a tight throat.

"Two hours," Eric said.

"What!" Donna asked loudly as she spun around to face him. He seemed completely impassive, his eyes bouncing between her and Jackie. If Jackie scantily clad had any effect on him, he showed nothing of it.

"My parents get up in about two hours," he said.

"Okay," Jackie replied as she went and opened the door. "I think I better go change."

Eric watched as Donna couldn't help take her eyes of the little brunette who had disappeared into the living room. "You okay?" he asked.

"I don't know," she replied as she went back to tending her eggs in the pan. "She just wandered in here dressed like that without even a second thought. Jackie's always been vain about her looks in the morning."

He shrugged and turned back to his plate. "Maybe she's changed."

"Not that much she hasn't,"

Eric cringed. Donna was a smart woman and knew enough about her younger friend to know something was amiss.

"Did something happen to her?" she asked.

"How would I know?" he asked with a laugh. "She's your friend, not mine." It was a convincing lie as Donna had replied back with only nod. Seeing that his former girlfriend was concerned, he said, "I'm sure she's fine. This is Jackie we're talking about."

Donna said, "I know, but ever since Hyde showed up with Sam, she's been even bitchier and self centered. Now she's almost the complete opposite."

"Maybe she's over it?" he replied as he took a drink and spun his chair around to look at her.

"Maybe, but I'm still curious to what's happened. This isn't something you just pass off. Like I said, it's Jackie."

"So you've stated a hundred times."

She ignored his flippant remark and continued to make her own breakfast.

Eric heard the shower turn on as the sink pipes squealed for a second. "Well, there goes the hot water," he said.

Donna laughed and said, "Now you're the one that has to deal with it. How do you think it was like when she lived with me?"

"Pure bliss?" he asked mockingly.

"It had its moments, but she was more than a handful."

"I could only imagine."

"No you couldn't," she shot back quickly. "She threw out all my makeup the first day she moved in. She said it was whore makeup and replaced it with her own." When he only nodded, she continued. "Then she took down all my posters of Zeppelin and replaced them with ones of ABBA."

Eric said, "I've heard this all before, so what's the point of reiterating it?"

"I'm just worried about her is all," she replied.

"Don't be, it'll only make you miserable."

"And you know what it's like to be miserable?" she asked with a laugh.

"In fact I do, but that doesn't matter. I think you should just leave Jackie alone to work through whatever is happening to her. Hell, she may even be ignorant of it all."

Donna laughed and said, "You could very well be right."

"So she's becoming a better person, what's wrong with that? I think you more than anyone else would benefit from a more personal and close friendship."

She looked to him as he spun back around to his plate. Staring at his back she wondered if what he spoke might be the truth, but she went back to tending her eggs on the frying pan. Quickly finishing, she put them on a plate along with her bacon she had just pulled out of the microwave. She buttered her toast a second later and grabbed a glass from the cupboard. Sitting on the other side of the table from Eric, she took a greedy bite. "When are we going to go pick up the guys at the station?"

Eric said, "As soon as Jackie is done in the shower and had her breakfast."

"That means we won't be out of here until your parents are up."

He shrugged as Donna laughed. "Either way, she'd kill us if we didn't take her along."

"That's true," Donna replied with a smile and ate another bite. Eric had finished and was nursing his juice glass.

"Coffee?" he asked as he got up off his chair and went to the counter.

"Please," she responded.

Eric quickly had some coffee brewing and sat back down at the table.

"So, Eric, what are you doing for the summer? You're not just going lounge around and do nothing are you? You did that just before you left."

He laughed and said, "I don't know. I first need to find a job for the fall, but I don't think that will be much of a problem since there's a new school opening just a few blocks away."

"That's a high school," Donna said with raised brows.

"I know."

"You can teach high school?" she asked in amazement.

Eric said, "I can teach any grade I want. The course that I took in Africa covers all grades and I can teach anywhere from one to twelve."

"Why not teach younger kids?" she asked, taking a drink of her juice.

"I don't have the patience. I want to teach kids who I know will grasp what I'm teaching."

"You sound like you just want an easy job."

He shrugged and said, "It may sound like that, but that's how I learned growing up and I sort of feel that's where I'm best suited to teach. It never took more than one or two explanations for me to understand anything, and I want that same intelligence in my students."

"Well, you were always rather smart, Eric."

"Not near as smart as you, but enough that you didn't make me look like an idiot."

Donna laughed and said, "I'm sending out my application for the University of Wisconsin on Monday."

"That's great," he replied. "But didn't enrollment end back in February?"

"It did, but they take late admissions."

He nodded and said, "I have no doubt that you'll get in."

"Well, just in case I don't I'm going to send out a few more elsewhere."

"Where?" he asked.

Donna smiled sheepishly and said, "Stanford and Dartmouth."

Eric smiled in amazement. "They'd be stupid not to take you."

"I'm going to go see our old guidance counselor to see if I have chance at getting in."

"I don't think it will be any problem," he said. "You're marks were always exemplary."

"Hopefully exemplary is enough to get me in."

"Don't worry about it, you're a shoo-in"

"Thanks," she replied. He always had confidence in her. Finishing her plate she said, "If Jackie would only hurry up, we could get to the station and pick up those knuckleheads."

Eric said, "Give her time. I'm sure only urging her to move faster would cause her to go slower just out of spite."

Donna nodded and took her plate to the sink. Eric followed suit, but grabbed her hand when she went to turn on the tap.

"We don't need to burn Jackie, do we?" he asked.

"Oh, I forgot," she said with a sly smile. "Besides, it's not burning, it's more like scalding."

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. Grabbing the juice from the table, he put it back in the fridge and sighed. "You know, I didn't think I'd ever become much of a morning person."

"Me either," Donna replied. "Jackie and I are up at four-thirty every weekday morning and sometimes it's difficult to sleep in on the weekends."

Eric nodded. "Hyde has it easy."

"Damn right he does! He gets up at ten every morning and doesn't have to open the store until eleven. Then Randy runs the place from five to eight and gets paid handsomely."

"I guess it's nice to have a rich dad. Speaking of which, is your dad planning to pay for your schooling?"

Donna smiled. "He plans to, he always has."

"That's great," he replied. "He hasn't decided to move to Florida yet has he?"

"No, but I think he'll go eventually. I just don't see anything keeping him here. Your parents might, but I think your father would dance a little jig if he left."

"Red doesn't dance jigs," Eric replied with a laugh. When she laughed with him, he went to the coffee pot and poured a couple mugs full of steaming rich caffeine. Handing one to her, he pulled the sugar out of the cupboard and dropped in two spoonfuls. Donna put some cream in hers from the fridge and dropped in only one spoonful of sugar. "I suggested to my dad that he and mom buy a motor home and tour around the country."

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Donna said.

"Not only that, but Red could visit every ball park in the country. I know he'd enjoy that."

"Maybe they'll reconsider moving to Florida?"

Eric shrugged and said, "I know dad wants to, but mom is hell-bent on staying."

"What's really keeping them here though?"

He smiled and sighed. "Me."

"You're mother doesn't want to be so far away from you. That's so sweet." She put her hands together on her chest and battered her lashes. "Oh, isn't so nice to have a mommy that loves you so much?"

Eric ignored her tone and said, "I'm a man now, I think I could handle them living far away."

"What would happen to the house?" Donna asked.

"Maybe I'd buy it," Eric said.

"You really want to stay in Point Place? Once your parents leave, only your friends will be left. You won't have any family."

"My friends are my family, Donna," he said as he went to the table and sat down. "Plus, I plan to have a family of my own some day."

"If your mother heard you say that she definitely wouldn't move away. She'd want to see her grandchildren all the time."

Eric shrugged and said, "This is only speculation. I don't see my parents selling the house and moving. I suspect they might go for the motor home idea, but not moving to Florida. My father might want to move, but we both know who makes the decisions around here."

Donna laughed a little and took a sip of her coffee. "Maybe when my dad moves you could buy the house next door?"

"Buy your house?" he asked. "I don't know. I don't like all this speculation, I just came home and I'm still getting settled in."

"I understand," she replied, taking a good swallow.

"What would happen at the news studio if you quit and went back to school?"

Donna shrugged. "I'm sure they would someone else to fill my spot, and Jackie would likely continue to work. She really loves her job."

"I thought she wanted stardom?" Eric asked. He wanted to see what Donna thought about Jackie's goals and ambitions.

"I don't know, I think when she was in high school it was all that she wanted, but I think she's content with the life she leads now. Well, I say that about the old Jackie, but she's changed these last few days and I really don't have a handle on her."

Eric said, "Everyone changes, even Jackie it seems."

"I guess so," Donna let out with a heavy sigh.

He knew what she was sighing over and he said, "I know you'll miss us terribly, but you have to do what is right for you. I'm sure we'll keep in touch, and we'll all visit you."

"What if I get in at Stanford? Would you all come out to California?"

"I'm sure my parents would if they bought a motor home, and I have the summers off so I would visit. I'm sure I could drag along the rest of the gang. It is California and I don't know anyone who wouldn't want to go. Hey, and you'll likely see a lot of Fez since he spends quite a bit of time in Los Angeles and along the west coast."

"Hollywood is the entertainment capital of the world," Donna said with a slight smile.

"See, it won't be as lonely as you think. We'll come to visit as often as we can."

She shrugged and said, "We're speculating again. Who knows if I'll even get accepted into Stanford or any of the other schools I'm going to apply for." When he was about to say something, she held up her hand and said, "I know you're going to try and reassure me that I'll get in, but please just let me worry a little."

He smiled and stayed quiet for a few moments.

Finishing her mug, she set it down on the table and got up. "Well, I better freshen up a little if we're going to the police station. My hair is a mess." She combed her fingers through it and went out the sliding door.

Eric watched her leave and then stood up, grabbing her mug and his own, putting them both in the sink. The pipes screeched again, signaling that Jackie was done in the shower. He put soap into the sink and pushed in the plug, turning the water on not a moment later and quickly washed the dishes.

About half way through drying his mother came into the kitchen in her robe tied tightly around herself.

"Eric," she said with surprise. "What are you doing up?" she asked.

"I got enough sleep," he replied simply. He finished drying the dishes and put them away.

Kitty quickly set about making breakfast for herself and Red. "Is that Jackie in the bathroom?" When her son nodded, she said, "Has she had breakfast yet?"

"No."

Nodding, Kitty quickly put a few more eggs into the pan and slipped some bread into the toaster.

Eric checked the clock above the phone. "It's only eight, shouldn't you be sleeping still?"

Kitty said, "I had my eight hours. I'm just surprised you and Jackie are both up."

"Jackie gets up really early all week and I doubt she's able to sleep in on the weekends, and me, I'm still adjusting to the jetlag." His mother nodded with a smile and scrambled the eggs in the pan. "I did find Sam sleeping on the table though."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she said she had waited up for Hyde to come home."

"Poor thing," Kitty said, "I hope you told her to go to bed."

"I did, but not before I told her what happened last night. I'm surprised; I didn't think she cared that much for him."

Kitty smiled and said, "She's all alone in a place where she knows only one person. She's trying to make the best of her situation. They are married too, and I think they care for each other in their own way."

Eric nodded and went for the door to the living room, shooting through it quickly. His father came down the stairs as he was about to go up, and he stood aside for him.

"Already up?" Red asked. When his son nodded, he said, "Good, make a habit of it."

Smiling at his father's usual gruffness, he vaulted up the stairs and into his room. Finding his deodorant, he put it on and tucked his shirt into his pants. Tucking his shirt into his pants was often considered un-cool, but he believed it made him look more distinguished and presentable. He found his belt and slid it in, admiring how he didn't have to wrap it half way around himself anymore.

Knowing that his mother was almost done making breakfast for his father and Jackie, he opened his door and went to Laurie's room. He softly knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" Jackie asked.

"Breakfast is almost ready," he said through the door.

"Oh, come in Eric, I need a hand in here."

Frowning, he entered to find her standing in the middle of the room with only a towel draped around her, showing off her legs and just a little of her bottom. "What is it?" he asked, finally tearing his eyes off her body.

Jackie stood looking at her clothes in a pile on the floor and said, "I wore these clothes yesterday."

"So?"

"So!" she repeated and turned towards him, her wet hair hanging well below her shoulders. "I don't like putting dirty clothes on after showering."

"Do you have any other choice?" he asked as he walked over to her and looked over her shoulder. He kissed her shoulder suddenly, his eyes traveling to her breasts. They were only hidden slightly by the folds of the towel. "Good morning," he said against her soft skin. She smelled like fresh peaches.

Jackie forgot her dilemma for a second and spun around, capturing his lips tenderly. "Good morning," she echoed back in sentiment as she pulled away slightly. "Now, if you wouldn't mind helping me?"

He nodded reluctantly and said, "I'm sure Laurie might have left some clothes around here."

"She's a little smaller than me," Jackie interjected.

"I know, but maybe something will fit." He quickly went into his sister's closet and dug around. Finding a box, he opened it and said, "Here's something."

"Really? She asked as she came over across the carpet in her bare feet to look over his shoulder. As he pulled out a pair of red shorts, so ridiculously short that it would show her rear, she swatted his shoulder and said, "I don't think so."

Eric whimpered for effect, causing her to laugh slightly, but put it back in the box and pulled something else out. "This looks better," he said as he got up and handed it to her. It was a simple skirt of brown, with white flowers etched onto it. It was made of loose material and flared out at the knees in almost a full circle. It wasn't overdone, but it was exaggerated at little.

"This might do," Jackie said as she inspected it. The white lace around the bottom of the trim made it rather stylish. She turned around and gently stepped into the skirt, pulling it up under the towel. It went just below her knees, perfectly showing off her calves. "Not bad," she said in admiration.

"Ahem," Eric said as he cleared his throat.

"What?" she asked as she turned to him.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What? Oh, well I don't have fresh pair and I'm not going to wear your sister's."

Eric laughed and said, "Let's just hope it's not windy outside." When she grinned back, looking even more beautiful, he went to the door and said, "When you're dressed, I'll be downstairs watching TV. My mom made some breakfast for you too, so don't let it get cold."

* * *

**If you happened to get through this chapter I really appreciate it. Not much happening in it I'll admit, but all stories have their filler. **


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Eric had been sitting on the living room couch when Jackie came down the stairs quickly. She was wearing the same skirt she had put on, but she had found a tight, thin baby blue sweater. He didn't bother saying anything as she hurried into the kitchen. Having forgone wearing his watch, a habit he had been developing of late, he flipped the station on the television. There wasn't much on in the morning, especially on a Sunday. Sighing in disappointment, he tossed the remote aside and crossed his arms. In the past he was much more patient with trivial things, but these days he was much more frustrated when there was nothing to do.

He waited for fifteen minutes until Jackie was done, and they left together with Donna in the Vista Cruiser, their destination the local police station. Jackie was in the back seat, Donna in the passenger's while he gripped the wheel softly with only his left hand.

"I hope none of them dropped the soap," Donna said.

"It's jail, not prison," Eric replied.

"Still, it'd be funny."

"And more than a little painful," Jackie added.

Eric took a street on the right and turned the radio up a little. It was Donna's old station where she had been a DJ for many years. He had heard from Hyde that the station still played good rock, but it was becoming incessantly more ramped with the new electronic rock. He had listened to it and knew for a fact that he didn't particularly like it.

"How hung-over do you think they'll be?" Jackie asked.

Donna said, "Hopefully a lot."

Eric simply smiled. Even if things had changed, having fun at their friends' expense was a tradition that didn't. "I'd guess we'll find them huddled in a corner for warmth. In particular, Fez, I bet he's sleeping all curled up in Kelso's lap." The two girls laughed and he said, "He's almost naked too. Damn, I wish I had gotten the camera out of Hyde's car."

"We could call the news station, Donna," Jackie said suddenly. "We could get them out to do one of those human interest pieces where people make fools of themselves."

"Oh, and we could get it on the news at six tonight," Donna exclaimed.

"Whoa, whoa," Eric said, calming their enthusiasm. "As much as that would humiliate them, we're not kids anymore and they all have an image to protect, especially Kelso since he's a cop."

"He gets himself into these situations all the time," Donna replied. "Any more exposure won't hurt."

"Okay," he said laughing, "maybe Kelso wouldn't be damaged by it since he always finds a way to overcome this sort of thing."

"That's because he's pretty," Jackie interrupted.

He ignored her and said, "Hyde is a local business man and both he and his other employee would both be at the mercy of their consumers."

"Any exposure is good exposure," Jackie said.

Eric sighed. "Okay, but let's not call the station. I feel bad enough about getting them tossed into the slammer for the night."

"What?" both voices said in unison.

He rubbed his neck and said, "I sort of suggested it to the sergeant."

"You did what!" Donna asked in disbelief.

"You heard me, I suggested it to the sergeant and he thought it was a good idea."

"Eric Forman," Donna admonished. "It's your fault that they are in jail."

"I'm sorry," he apologized quickly. "How was I supposed to know they'd listen to my suggestion?"

Jackie leaned up to the front seat. "You know Donna; this is funnier than almost anything that's happened before."

"I don't know," Donna said suddenly with a large grin, "the tater-nuts day was certainly entertaining."

Eric laughed as he recounted what Donna had told him about it years and years ago. Replaying that seen over in his mind again and again always brought a slight chuckle from his throat. Of course, it had been at the expense of Kelso, but the man had a way of finding trouble and making an ass out of himself. The only way he escaped that trouble was from gaining pity from everyone else. "We'll see if this is any funnier," he said as he pulled up to the station and turned off the car.

Exiting, he and the girls went up the concrete steps and into the station. Finding the front desk and a short blond woman manning it, he said, "I'm Eric Forman, I believe you have a few friends of mine in lockup?"

"This way sir," the woman said as she stood up and pushed aside the swinging wood door that allowed them to pass through and into the office area. "Just through this door," the woman said as she guided to the other end and opened a steel door.

Eric smiled at the officer as he passed her and went through the door. The smell of alcohol and vomit filled his nostrils and he almost stopped, but the pressure from Jackie and Donna behind him kept him going. Getting to the end of the hall, finding the large cell, he stopped and smiled.

Together in the tiny cell were his four friends, each looking miserable and half asleep, none of them aware he was standing there. Fez wasn't wearing the shower curtain anymore; instead he was dressed in Point Place police sweats that the officers had obviously provided. The foreigner was resting his head against the wall as Hyde was lying asleep in the one cot in the cell. Randy was sitting on the toilet it looked like, but his pants were up and he also appeared to be asleep. The only one even remotely aware of his surroundings was Kelso. The oft time idiot was shaking his head back as he rested up against the end of the cot.

"Wake up!" Eric yelled, and instantly the four figures began to move and groan. Kelso jumped to his feet on instinct, clambering and knocking his elbow off the concrete wall. He cursed for a few moments and looked out the cell.

"Eric," he said as he stepped forward and leaned on the bars with his bare hands. Behind him were two people he didn't expect to see. "Jackie, Donna,"

"Kelso," Donna replied with a grin. "Have a good sleep?"

"No," the woman officer answered as she walked over and unlocked the cell door. "This one and the foreigner fought over the cot for almost an hour."

"Who got it?" Jackie asked.

"The one who's lying on it," the woman remarked.

"Figures," Eric said through a laugh.

"It does doesn't it?" Donna mentioned. "Are we allowed to take them out of here, ma'am."

The blonde police officer nodded. "Please, and you can just call me Officer Green."

"Thanks, Officer," Eric said as he stepped into the cell to make sure the others knew he was there. Luckily the smell of vomit wasn't coming from this cell, but he didn't like the smell of musky body odor and alcohol. They were a bad mix. "Up and at 'em," he said as he shook both Fez and Randy.

"What?" Fez asked. "Am I dead?"

"No, you're not dead," Kelso said as he went back into the cell and helped his foreign friend to his feet."

"How is it you're not hung-over?" Donna asked Kelso.

Kelso said, "I made sure to drink a lot of milk before we left Forman's."

"I didn't think that worked," Eric said as he helped Randy up and passed him off to Donna.

"Me neither," Kelso replied, "but hey, you learn something new every month."

Eric chuckled and bent down to the cot. He roughly shook Hyde's shoulder to wake him.

"Leave me alone, my head hurts," the curly haired man said through a couple of groans and moans.

"Come on, Hyde, we'd hate to have to leave you here."

"Go away!" he snorted.

Eric took a step back and turned to the officer. "You don't mind if he stays here for a while longer, do you."

"I don't," she replied.

"Good, then let's go." He walked out of the cell and allowed the officer to close it.

"You're not really going to leave him here, are you?" Jackie asked.

"Why not, I don't feel like dragging him outside."

"But we just can't leave him here."

Eric said to Jackie, "The station is only seven blocks from home and I'm sure once he sleeps it off he'll be fine to walk home."

Jackie looked at Eric a moment then to Hyde sleeping on the cot. "I guess it couldn't hurt for him to get a bit of fresh air after spending all night in a dank cell."

He smiled and said, "You couldn't be more right." The officer closed the cell door and guided them back out, he helping Kelso with Fez while Jackie and Donna supported Randy. Together they managed to get the two groggy men into the Vista Cruiser, not bothering to buckle them in, just simply tossing them into the back.

Kelso got in beside Eric in the passenger seat and said, "You don't mind dropping me off at home do you?"

"Not a problem," Eric answered as he started up the car once the girls were in their seats behind him. "You're lucky Brooke didn't see you in that cell. She might have had second thoughts about marrying your sorry ass."

"I'll have you know that my ass is nothing but perfect, thank you very much."

Eric laughed and said, "Well, either way your daughter doesn't get to see her father hung-over."

Kelso simply ignored Eric's comment and said, "We should have shaved Hyde's eyebrows."

"And where would we get the razor?" Jackie asked, annoyed.

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that."

They laughed at their friend's lack of foresight, and Donna said, "You guys were just lucky you didn't get arrested."

"Arrested for what?" Kelso asked.

"Oh I don't know, intoxicated in public, riding in a vehicle down main street with open beer, and how about my boyfriend and Hyde sitting in the back of the car in lawn chairs?"

"Pfft," Kelso blew out his mouth. "If anything they could have slapped us with a ticket and we'd have to pay it."

"I don't know," Eric said, "It's Hyde's third offence and could get him some real prison time."

Kelso rolled his eyes. "So what, he'd fit right in."

"Maybe so, but that doesn't mean he'd like it."

"Hey," Kelso said suddenly and turned to Eric. "Why weren't you in there with us?"

Eric said, "I was sober and the cop thought I was the responsible one."

Kelso snorted in disgust as his friend parked the car in front of his house. "See you guys later," he said as he got out and headed for the front door.

Eric simply smiled and watched as his friend entered the house. Instantly there was a lot of noise coming from inside, but it was cut off as the door closed. Shaking his head, still laughing, he put the vehicle into drive and took off for Randy's apartment.

It took a few minutes to get there, Donna instructing him where to go, but in no time at all they had helped Donna haul her boyfriend inside and left with reassurances that she was okay to look after him herself.

Walking back to the car, Jackie at his side, he put his hands in his jean pockets. "To your apartment?" he asked.

"I think its best. That way we can both keep an eye on him and we wouldn't have your father yelling at him."

He smiled and got into the Cruiser, Jackie getting in alongside him a second later. As they began to pick up speed, they heard a groan from the back. Eric smiled and put his left hand on top of the steering wheel, guiding them for Fez and Jackie's apartment.

It took longer than expected as they had to pull over on the side of the rode so that Fez wouldn't vomit in the car. Finally reaching their destination and helping their friend up the elevator and into his room, they turned off the lights and exited.

Eric leaned up against the door and said, "That wasn't near as funny as I thought it would be."

"It was more sad and pathetic than anything else," Jackie remarked.

"Maybe some coffee might perk us up a little?"

Jackie smiled and pulled out her coffee machine. She quickly filled it up and pressed the button. "You know, I never used to like coffee all that much."

"It's an acquired taste," he said as he stepped away from the kitchen and found a seat on the other side of the counter.

"My dad told me that broccoli would be an acquired taste, but to this day I still have trouble eating it without gagging."

"Child," he said softly, but she caught him and stuck her tongue out a little.

"What about you, don't you have a food you hate?"

Eric thought for a second. "I don't hate food, especially since it serves its purpose, but I dislike peas."

"See, I like peas," Jackie said.

"Oh no," he replied with a mocking tone, "Peas will tear us apart." When she smiled, he chuckled with her. "Let's see, what else don't I like?" He tapped his chin thoughtfully and said, "Margarine, rice, and oh, pickles."

She thought his list was on the normal side and listed off a few of her dislikes. "Um, first there's anchovies, then bananas, fish, and especially milk."

"You don't like milk?" he asked in amazement. "Everyone loves milk."

"No, everyone with the last name Forman likes milk." When he grinned, she continued. "I'll bear it in my cereal, but I'd rather use chocolate milk."

"So you'll use milk in your cereal but won't drink it straight. And you like chocolate milk?"

"Yeah, weird isn't it?" she asked, bulging out her eyes and smiling for effect.

Eric laughed at her and said, "I'll admit, it's weird, but it's not something I'll fight you over. I just find it shocking since I love my milk. I simply can't get enough."

Jackie said, "As long as your vice isn't alcohol, we're good."

"That's the last thing you have to worry about. I'm not a drunkard. In fact, I've come to realize lately that American beer is poor compared to the rest of the worlds."

"Really?" she asked.

"Absolutely, beer here isn't the same as it was in Africa. Here everything is mass produced, but there it was brewed in small breweries and had a local flavor unlike anything else."

"I would have liked to try some."

Eric's brows rose. "I haven't seen you drink very often; I thought maybe you didn't like beer."

"Oh, I'm not very fond of beer, but I like my alcohol none the less. Beer is too sour and rough, I prefer something fruity."

"Fruity?" he asked.

Seeing his nose wrinkle and his frown deepen, she said, "Yes, fruity. We delicate women like something with taste. We drink to enjoy ourselves; you brutes drink to get drunk."

"Now you're calling me a brute?" he teased.

"Yes, and I'm not rescinding it. I stick by my statement."

Eric put a finger to her shoulder and tugged at the fabric a little. He gently trailed his finger to the neckline and rubbed it between his finger and thumb. "Being the brute you think I am, I should simply rip this shirt off and take you right here and now."

Jackie's eyes went wide, but they narrowed when she could see his smile. He was only joking, but for a moment her heart had begun to pound quickly at the thought of him ripping her shirt off and taking her on the counter. Such a display of animal lust seemed incredibly erotic. "Keep that in mind for a later date," she teased, her fingers trailing along his arm seductively.

"Will do," he replied as he gently leaned to kiss her. They didn't get any time to deepen their embrace as they heard Fez burp from inside his room.

Putting a hand to her mouth, Jackie laughed and pulled away. Eric smiled at her and put his arm back on the kitchen counter. "Something tells me we shouldn't open that door up at any time."

Eric nodded and said, "Who knows what kind of noxious gasses could come forth and render us blind?" She laughed at his remark and put a hand to her chest. He was amazed at how natural her laugh sounded. In the past it sounded stuck up and fluty, but now it was something of divine beauty. Tapping his finger on the counter, he said, "How is it you have no dining table?"

Jackie shrugged and said, "We don't really need one, most of the time I'm by myself, so I just microwave something and sit on the couch to eat. If I'm in the mood for something fancier I'll fix it and eat here at the counter."

"Everyone needs a dining table."

"I don't"

Eric looked at her confident smirk and said, "I'll let it go only if you promise to come over and eat with us more often. I think you'd enjoy a homemade meal once and a while."

"Are you implying that I can't cook?" she asked playfully.

"Can you?"

She relented and smiled, "No. Well, I can, but that doesn't mean what I cook is even remotely edible. If I'm feeling especially daring I'll try to cook a roast of some kind."

"And how does that usually turn out?" he asked.

"Poorly, but one time I got it right and had roast beef sandwiches for about two weeks."

"You're supposed to eat the roast at supper, not lunch."

"I mean I ate the leftovers for two weeks," she replied with a roll of her eyes.

"I know," he said with a grin.

"You're an evil man, Eric Forman," she said with a glint in her eye.

He shrugged and said, "I try my hardest."

"To what, be an evil bastard or not to be one?"

"Which one makes you shiver the least?"

Still playing his little game, she copied his earlier manner and tapped her chin. "Does it matter? The fact that both make me shiver is enough for me as it is."

"Are you going soft?" he asked playfully, poking her in the leg.

Jackie straightened out her skirt, Laurie's skit, and said. "I've always been soft." In a voice that sounded close to that of a dunce bimbo, she said, "I need a big man like you to protect me from spiders."

Eric let out a loud laugh and heard her get swept up in it. She really was much more fun than he could have ever imagined. "What am I going to do with you, Jackie Burkhart?"

"What do you mean?"

Seeing the large smirk on her face, he stood up and said, "You make me smile more than anyone else, and sometimes I think you only joke to make me feel good. When did _you_ start doing anything for someone else's benefit?"

She could tell he was making sport of her, and in a way she enjoyed his playful manner. It was more of the Eric Forman she used to know. It was likely that she would be the only one to see this side of him, much like his mother had said, and it made her feel incredibly special. "Can I not just be nice for a change?" she pleaded with him sarcastically.

"I don't know, maybe."

"Maybe?" she asked with a grin. "I thought you'd be ecstatic?"

"No." He shook his head. "Confused and bewildered is more like it."

Jackie said, "I know what you can do with me."

"Oh really?" he asked, fixing an eye on her and closing the other. "What should I do?"

"Kiss me," she answered simply.

"Okay," he said, and leaned in. When he was almost at her lips, she pulled away and hopped off her stool. He stared in mute shock as she went around the counter and grabbed two mugs from the cupboard without a second glance at him. "Now who's evil?" he said, finally overcoming the shock of what had just happened.

"I'm the little, bossy, mean, and shallow girl, remember? I'm trained to be evil and manipulative."

"Oh yeah?" he asked with a hard tone as he got up off his stool and rounded the counter. She was about to fill the two mugs, but he quickly grabbed her wrist and said. "You want to act evil, I'll treat you like a criminal."

She giggled softly and looked up into his eyes. "What are you going to do?" she asked, smirking up at him.

"I don't know, but this for starters." He pulled her wrist behind her back and kissed her hard. He didn't know exactly how she would respond to his suddenly brutish behavior, but she responded a second later by tugging forcefully on his jeans and breathing hard against him. As he pulled back, he could see the evil yet sexy look on her face. "You told me to kiss you, didn't you?"

"I guess I did," she replied, her face softening as she gently leaned up and brushed her lips against his ever so slightly. "I like a man who obeys me."

"And what if I disobey?" he challenged.

She pulled on his bottom lip with her thumb and forefinger. "I would make you pay for it."

"How?" he asked with a grin.

"Oh I don't know, but I'd find something exciting and fun."

"That's what I like to hear," he said

Jackie turned and poured the mugs full of steaming hot coffee. They each put two spoonfuls of sugar in their drink and shared an awkward glance. "Two scoops too?" she asked.

"Yeah, just like you it seems" he answered.

"Weird."

"No, coincidental."

"I thought you were the one who said that there weren't coincidences?"

"When did I ever say that?" he asked as he followed her into the living room and to the couch.

Jackie sat down on one leg, Eric sitting on the other end and facing her. Taking a wary sip, she let out a satisfied sigh and said, "The other day."

"I don't remember saying something like that."

"Whatever," she said with a laugh.

Eric grinned and took a small sip. "I may not have said it, but that doesn't mean you haven't pegged me. I don't believe in coincidences per say, but when it comes to what we put in our coffee, that I think that can be considered coincidental."

Jackie nodded and took another sip. Backing away from her mug, she blew on the hot liquid to cool it. "Do you think Fez heard any of what we just said at the counter? His door was pretty close you know."

He shook his head and said, "I'd be surprised if he could be able to hear anything other than his head pounding."

"Is that what it's like to be drunk?"

"You haven't been drunk before, have you?" he asked.

His grin was slightly unnerving, but she answered him honestly. "No."

"Well," Eric began, "being drunk is rather fun, it's the hang-over that sucks. Being drunk you rarely feel pain and you have the courage to do things you wouldn't normally do. It's an inhibitor is some sense of the word. I'm an angry drunk, some are peaceful and quiet. What you tend to forget when you're drunk is that the next morning will be hell. It feels as if your brain wants to jump out of your head, and you wish it would so that you could die and be rid of it."

"Sounds like little to no fun," she said.

"That it's not, but then again neither is the vomiting that follows."

"Vomiting?"

Eric nodded and said, "If you're lucky you vomit before you go to sleep, that way you don't feel quite as bad in the morning, and your main concern would be the hunger gripping your stomach. Most people don't do that though, and they get very sick in the morning."

"What about Michael, he didn't look hung-over."

"Kelso is bigger than the rest of us and alcohol doesn't quite affect him as much. It's all about body mass and how much you can dilute the alcohol you put in your system. Kelso can drink the same amount as I could and not get drunk. Sure, he may act drunk, but that's only because he's fun and loud even with just a buzz."

"I see," she said softly and took another drink. "So, how many beers do you think it would take me to get drunk?"

Eric studied her and said, "It would take four or five cans, depending on how quickly you drink them."

"How many can you drink?"

"It used to be about five before I felt a buzz, but now that I'm a little heavier I wouldn't be surprised if my tolerance was stronger. But it's not as if I'm going to test it."

"No," she said with a smile, "I don't picture you drunk. You say you're an angry drunk, and to be honest with you I don't think I've ever seen you angry."

"What can I say," he said with a laugh, "I'm as level headed as they come."

Jackie snickered behind an upraised hand. "As long as you don't end up like your father."

"That will never happen," Eric said with authority. He relented on his position a little when he saw her stiffen slightly. "Okay, I take that back somewhat. What I'm saying is that my temper will never get the best of me like his does. I have a lot of restraint. Plus, I don't take any enjoyment at yelling at people like my father does."

"He enjoys it?"

"I know he does. Have you ever seen how much he grins after threatening to put his foot up my ass?"

Jackie thought about it and smiled. "I guess he does."

"Damn right he does," Eric said, "and he won't pass up an opportunity to yell. I rarely raise my voice. But there are some things I admire about him."

"Like what?" she asked as she held onto her mug with both hands, eagerly anticipating his response.

He shrugged and said, "I guess I envy the way he lets nothing affect him, especially when money was short. He was a hard as stone, unable to break or bend at the prospect of poverty. He's assertive, just like when he demanded the management job at Price Mart."

"I see a lot of those qualities in you," Jackie said.

"Really?

Smiling at his frown, she said, "Of course I do. You may not be quite as bold as he is, but you put on a steel exterior when it comes to letting people know you. You never used to, but since you've come back I think everyone sees it."

Eric thought she might just be trying to make him feel better out of pity, but her eyes didn't lie. She was telling the truth. "I wonder how my mom is handling it. I knew I had changed, but in likeness to my father? I wasn't so sure."

Jackie said, "I'm sure she's dealing with it in her own way. It must have been hard for her to see her only son move thousands of miles away as a boy and come back a man. She missed the transition period and she is trying hard do to catch up."

"Maybe I should sit down and tell her what exactly happened in Africa?"

"Maybe," Jackie replied and took another drink. "You just have to be sure if she would tell your father or not."

Eric shrugged and said, "Of all the people I know, Red would be the one who would understand the most about what I went through, but we don't share feelings. Hell, we rarely speak to each other."

"Maybe you have to change that. Your father and you can't be estranged your whole lives."

"Oh, we're not estranged; we just have a very simple relationship that involves threats and glares. I listen to his threats and cower under his glares."

Jackie laughed and said, "Sometimes I wonder how your mother puts up with him, but I have a good idea how."

"Oh really?" he asked. "Care to tell me?"

She shook her head and said, "Not in a million years."

"Tease," he replied.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Shouldn't you be at church right now?" Jackie asked.

"No, my parents allowed us to make our own choices about religion when we turned eighteen. Why do ask?"

"I've never been to church, so I don't know a whole lot about religion and so forth."

"Do you want to know about it?"

"Not really. Sometimes I like to think that a god exists and he's looking down on us, but it a hard concept to imagine there's something out there that's more powerful than us and can control our lives with the blink of their eyes."

Eric said, "I had no idea you were so interested in theology."

"Oh, and I guess I'm only allowed to be interested in clothes, money and pink unicorns?"

Noting her condescending tone, he said, "No, it's not that, it's just I haven't seen this side of you. In the past you were always conceited and occupied with material things."

"I guess I never really thought my thoughts were that important."

"What you think about is important to me, Jackie. I understand what you mean by not thinking people would listen to you. A lot of people don't like to concern themselves with questions that will never give them a straight answer. I'm not one of them, mainly because I'm a teacher and I tend to dwell on things until I have an answer. I almost killed myself trying to find the answer to why all those children were murdered. I drank, and slept none for days on end, but it got me nowhere.

Once I realized that there was no rational explanation, I tried to push it away from my mind, but that doesn't help. Sometimes all you need is time to adjust, but still those questions will always be there."

Jackie lifted her mug to her lips and drank slowly. Setting the cup back down on her leg, she said, "Sometimes I wish there was an answer for everything."

"Then life would have no meaning, we would all be content and live lives of enlightenment without thought. The questions that dawn on us today are those that drive us tomorrow. Without the need to find a solution, what point is there to existence?"

"So the age old question about what is the meaning of life is simple then?"

Eric shook his head. "No, that question is impossible to answer because there are too many random solutions. To me the meaning of life could mean simply to live every day to the fullest, while to you it could mean bringing good will and kindness to others. Every person has their own answer to that question. In essence, this transition you're going through is an extension of that particular question. You are looking for the meaning of your life. That's all we can do, we can't consume ourselves with trying to find the answer of life itself."

Nodding, she took another drink. "Then why do some people spend their whole life looking for meaning?"

"They do so because they believe that there is a universal answer for everything. People are not raised to believe in themselves anymore, they're taught to follow another and go with the flow. The flow centers on a belief system with stringent and pointed rules. Yes, those rules concern what we consider as decency and right and wrong, but beyond that moral fabric lays questions that people would rather ignore. Think about it like this.

We grow up going to school, studying subjects and answering test questions. Like in Mathematics, there is always an answer, only one answer to a given question. That's science. Science is the preaching of facts and numbers to determine an exact equation or theory."

"Okay, I get what you're saying, but what does this all have to do with what I'm going through?"

"Humans are like numbers; each one is different and has their own set of morals and beliefs. More and more people believe in science than ever before because there are more people asking questions. They can be simple math equations, or they can be as complex as knowing what is out there in the universe. The only way to answer those questions is to try and work out the equation.

If you're searching for life on other planets, you use a telescope, to figure out a math problem you use a calculator or your head. Those are simple, the problem with the questions you ask, and many of those who are going through what we are ask, is that there is no formula to answer them."

Jackie shook her head and said, "What you talk about seems hopeless, as if it will remain a mystery forever. How are we to find what we're looking for when there is no direction to take?"

"That," Eric answered with a grin, "Is the question that will drive you to drinking." When she frowned slightly, he said, "Like before, because there's no formula to follow, we go into everything blindly. Sure, our belief system and our morals keep us on a path of right and wrong, but behind that lies so much else. That's why I held nothing back when I spoke to you on Friday. You've always seen your future as something rather simple. You believed that happiness and enlightenment was derived from material wealth."

"I know that it's not."

"And you've probably known that for a while, you just needed my help in realizing it. I'm a teacher, Jackie; I hate to see people shrouded by ignorance or confusion. It pains me every time I'm teaching a class and there are a few children who don't pick up on my teachings as quick as the others."

"Not everyone is the same, even you said that."

He smiled at her sharp intellect. "I know, and that's why I find teaching so frustrating at times, but that's what makes it so interesting as well. Everyone is different, and everyone learns a different way. I don't think that there are certain children that simply can't learn, I think that their teachers just haven't found the correct way to teach them. It is my fault if a child falls behind, not theirs."

"You take so much onto your shoulders, you know that don't you?"

Eric shrugged and said, "That's part of who I am."

Jackie saddened and sunk her head. "At least you know that much about yourself."

He smiled and set his coffee mug on the table in front of the couch. The sound of the television in the background was barely audible as he scooted closer to the other end of the couch and her. "You know some things about yourself," he said as he placed his left hand over hers on her coffee mug.

"No I don't," she replied with a sigh.

"Sure you do. What's your favorite color?"

She continued to stare at her lap and said, "It used to be pink, but I'm not exactly sure anymore"

"Okay, bad first question, let me try this again. What's the first thing you like to do when you wake up in the morning?"

"Go back to sleep."

"Alright, so we know that you don't like waking up. I don't either, but we do it anyways. See, you know something about yourself. You don't like waking up."

"That's hardly anything special." She looked up finally and got caught in his sparkling bright eyes.

"You don't have to feel special to be happy. Sometimes all it takes is for someone else to make you feel special. No person is ever satisfied with one hundred percent of their life. If they were, I would likely succumb to the belief that God is a man looking down at us from space."

She smiled slightly and said, "How do you know he isn't simply a man?"

Eric shrugged and continued to grin. "That again is another question that will drive you insane if you dwell on it too much. Like I've said, there are so many questions out there that we could barely scratch the surface in our lifetime."

"God, have I ever told you that you make everything else seem so trivial and insubstantial?"

He laughed. "Only about three times in the last five minutes."

"How do you deal with it?"

"Deal with what?" he asked.

It was her turn to look upon him as if he hadn't been paying attention. "How do you deal with the fact that you have no direction in life?"

He thought about it a second, then shrugged. "I believe I have some direction. It's something that naturally develops on its own, but you can find it if you search for it hard enough. It's when that veil is ripped from your eyes at first, that it seems scary. Trust me, it will get better, or it might get more painful before it actually gets better, but you will find yourself with meaning and direction."

"I wish I had your confidence," she said softly.

"Honestly, I was more scared than you were because I had no one to help me, but I soon realized that being frightened only lets you know what scares you. It's another piece of the puzzle in your life that you will come to know about yourself." When Jackie looked confused, he tapped her knee. "You know those types of people who take a ton of risks without fear of the repercussions or consequences?"

"Yeah."

"Well, those people tend to go through exactly what we are, but they do it in a different way. They tackle it head on, without fear and often become careless and get themselves into trouble. We both think before we act, because we have fear. Fear makes us act rational and behaved. I will admit that I wish I was carefree and disconcerning, for those people, even though they live short lives, know the true feeling of living life to the fullest."

"But if those people are fearless, wouldn't they always be searching for what makes them who they are?"

Eric grinned again and said, "Exactly. They live short lives because they search and search but never find. They push themselves to the limit of their existence to find the one true thing that scares them. Those people aren't afraid of death, and that's the ultimate fear of most people. It's after they die that they might find those answers, so they take risks. We have fears about the simplest things. I would worry about what might happen to my friends, my family, you, if I should suddenly die. You would be the same way, and most people are.

"That's why it's so important to find out whom you are and what makes you happy or content, so that when you do one day die you can look back on your life with fondness. All those thrill seekers who aren't afraid of anything, when their life flashes before their eyes, they don't know what to think. They live so in the moment that they never took the time to realize what was most important to them. Sure, maybe their own life and enjoyment was most important to them, but that's selfish, and I know both you and I don't think that way."

Jackie smiled. "You speak as if you're all knowing and wise, but you don't really understand any of this either, do you?"

He shook his head and grinned. "Nope, but I'm just telling you what I think. Now you just have to be willing to share what you think without worrying about what people might say. Sure, there are times when it's best to keep your mouth shut, and I think you're very aware of those situations. You're an intelligent woman, but you never have to be afraid to talk me about what you think. I won't think any less of you whether you think religion is a farce or it is salvation. That's what you think and I would love to hear it."

When she smiled at him warmly, he quickly said, "Plus, with another mind telling me what she thinks, I'm less likely to become self indulgent and believe that what I think is actually what all people should think."

"I don't think I could picture you as a jerk," Jackie said. "I think there is a line between confidence and arrogance that you seem to skirt very well."

Eric nodded. "See, I don't think like that, but you do. Now that you've mentioned it I can think about it. Never be afraid to tell me about my faults and shortcomings. Even if I am sometimes arrogant enough to believe that I have none. We all do as some point in our lives."

Jackie laughed at his last sentence and said, "Care to tell me about my faults?"

"Nope, you're perfect," he replied, taking a drink from his mug. The coffee was still warm, but the taste was a little sour as the sugar had settled to the bottom. Jackie swatted his arm playfully and he said, "I can't help it if I think you're perfect."

"Yeah right," she replied with a curt laugh. "I think I'm the last person in the world I'd consider to be perfect. If anything I look upon you as perfection."

Eric smiled and kissed her hand, raising it up from her mug. "That's what's so great; we see each other as the image of excellence and truly want to aspire to be more like one another. We both think alike in that regard, yet what you see as perfection differs from mine."

"I think you're attitude towards life is prefect. You seem as if you're going in the right direction."

"Maybe I am," Eric replied, "but when I say I think you're perfect, I think so because you're beautiful, smart, witty, and very level headed."

"I didn't used to be," she interrupted.

"No, but I envy your ability to change yourself so drastically. I struggled with my change for almost a year. Just now I am beginning to accept what I have become."

Jackie kissed his hand this time and said, "I don't think I could have gone through any of this without you by my side."

"And without you hear to listen to me ramble and spout what is most likely idiot wisdom, I would still be searching to accept who I am."

"Then I guess we've found each other," Jackie said with a snort of laughter. "How corny and fairy tale does that sound?"

"Almost too corny for me to believe."

"Do you think fate has brought us together?"

Eric thought about it for a second and said, "I have a hard time believing in fate, but I think there is a reason why we're both here for one another at this moment in time."

Jackie kissed him gently and put her fingers to his cheek. Departing an instant later with a smile on her face, she tapped his lips. "What about this, do you think that's fate?"

He shook his head and she wilted a little. "I think its convenience, maybe even a little of two people feeling lonely and just searching for that someone to connect with. But, just because it's not fate doesn't mean it isn't real. What's happening between us is the extension of a couple things, but none of them feel wrong, do they?"

"No, it feels, well, I don't know how it feels really."

"Neither do I," he replied. "I guess you won't know what it's supposed to feel like until you do find what's right, and by the time you find it, your search is over. The trick is to not lose that feeling."

"Maybe we'll find that feeling together, in each other's arms," Jackie said.

Eric smiled and said, "That certainly would be convenient, wouldn't it?"

"Very much so, and it would definitely shorten our search."

"Hoping it is and knowing it is are two different things. In time we'll see if what we're doing is right, but we will never know if we don't try."

"I'm afraid we'll create something special and it won't work out."

"Loneliness is not the end all."

"I know that, but the last thing I want to happen is to get hurt."

"I'll gladly take that brunt of the pain just for the opportunity. I'd hate to put this to an end now and not have the chance to do something that could change both our lives for the better. But, this is about what you want. I know what I want and you just have to decide if it would be worth that pain if we ever ended badly."

"No, no," Jackie said quickly. "I want this, I do more than anything. I guess I'm just looking for reassurance is all."

Eric smiled and leaned in to kiss her. It seemed to shock her as she didn't respond. Pulling back he said, "I'll do my best to make it all as painless as possible. I can't promise you it will be all roses and lilacs, because every relationship has speed bumps, but I'll do my best."

Jackie smiled and kissed him this time. "I'll do exactly the same." She placed her mug clumsily on the table as she closed her eyes and deepened the kiss. Fez was likely asleep and they were alone for the moment. The chances of getting time alone together in the next few days would be remote as long as Fez was around.

Eric slipped his left hand from hers and gently placed it on her thigh, his right finding the nape of her neck. She smelled so good he thought she might just be edible, but he relented to kissing her back. Her lips were surprisingly wet for the morning, and there was a slight aftertaste of coffee on her breath, but he knew his smelt the same. As the heat of the moment heightened, he guided his hand down to her waist and squeezed it. Taking his lips off hers, he gently pressed them against her neck where his hand had been. When she moaned softly against his lips, he drank in the sound and gently moved his left hand up under her shirt and squeezed the other side of her waist.

"Eric," she said with a hoarse voice as he continued the soft assault on her neck.

"What?" he asked, pulling back.

"No, don't stop," she said quickly. He smiled and went back to her neck. Again her eyes closed and her hands found their way to the sleeves of his shirt. She gently slid them up his shirt sleeves and found his shoulders, clutching tightly to them in a heated response. He seemed to think she wanted something else, and gently pulled them back, eventually laying her down flat on the couch with his body atop of her. He wasn't crushing her, his knee between her legs holding him upright as she could feel his tongue on her neck.

"I smell coffee."

Jackie's eyes bulged open and she almost screamed as Eric sucked in a sudden breath and brought her skin with it. Fez was up.

Eric slunk down off her and laid on the floor, his eyes wide as he stared at her. Quickly he whispered, "Lay down on your left side."

"Why?" she asked softly.

"So he doesn't see the hickey I just gave you."

"You didn't?" she asked in horror, trying desperately to see it, but couldn't without a mirror.

"Hurry," he said, and she quickly obeyed, turning herself around and laying on the couch on her left side. She hid her neck on a pillow where her head rested. To avoid any other suspicion, he sat upright on the floor by her feet and put his mug back in his hand.

Fez came around to couch and burped. "What time is it?" he asked.

Eric looked to his watch, but realized he hadn't put it on. "I don't have my watch on me," he replied.

"Eric?" Fez asked surprised to see his friend. "What are you doing here?"

Jackie said, "Eric helped me get you into your bed, and he just stayed for a cup of coffee."

"Wasn't that like hours ago?" Fez asked as wiped the sleep out of his eyes and wobbled on his feet.

"You couldn't have been in your room more than fifteen minutes, Fez," Jackie stated as she looked up at him, making sure to hide her hickey from him.

"Oh, well it felt like hours."

"Do you not feel sick?" Eric asked as his foreign friend wobbled slightly.

"Oh, I do, but I can't seem to find the bathroom."

Eric quickly jumped up off the floor and guided Fez to the bathroom, barely getting him there before the young man vomited. Sighing in relief that the vomit was going into the toilet, he closed the door behind himself as he exited. He wasn't about to stand in there while his friend stunk up the place.

Walking back into the living room, he found the couch empty and frowned. He turned around and Jackie suddenly came walking out of her room. The hickey had mysteriously disappeared.

"That was one heck of a hickey," she said with admiration.

"Sorry about that."

"I had to apply a lot of cover to get rid of it."

Eric sighed and said, "And here I thought it had magically disappeared."

Jackie slapped his arm playfully as she went around him and took the two cups from the coffee table.

He followed her to the kitchen, sitting on one of the stools by the counter as she dropped the mugs into the sink. She quickly turned the coffee machine on again, surely for Fez when he came back out of the bathroom. "That's the second time he's interrupted us," he said.

"Maybe something is trying to tell us something?" she said with a wink.

"No, I think if something wanted us apart my father would have caught you in my bed last night."

"Who knows, maybe they did catch us and didn't say anything. I doubt your mother would have said anything if she had caught us."

Eric laughed and said, "You never know with my mother."

"She's happy for us you know."

"I know, you've told me already, but every time you say it I can't help but doubt she's telling the truth."

"What do you mean?"

Eric tapped the counter aimlessly with two fingers and said, "She took the break up with Donna really hard."

"I didn't know that," Jackie replied. "Why?" she asked a second later with a frown.

"You know how my mother frets over me?" When she nodded, he could tell she understood.

"I wish I had a mother like that."

"No you don't."

"Come on Eric, you're mom loves you so much she quit her job a number of times to make sure she was there when you came home from school every day."

"I appreciate that, don't get me wrong, but she was smothering a lot of the time. I don't resent her for it though; I understand that she just loves me more than life itself. It would be better if she and Laurie were close, but since my sister was never that receptive, she doubled up her love on me."

"Where is your sister?" Jackie asked.

"Last I heard was that she was modeling in New York."

"Well, I guess your sister was always the one who was attracted to the big city, the glitz, and the nightlife."

"Yep," he replied, "and I was the one condemned with the ordinary life of living in Point Place."

"You make it sound like a bad thing," she said with a smile.

"Never in a million years. This is where I want to be. This is home and I intend to make it so for a number of years."

"Do you already have your whole life planned out?" she asked.

"No, but I have an idea of what I'd like. But I'm not naïve enough to believe that unexpected things don't happen. I could get a better job someday and move into a bigger house, but I still plan to stay in Point Place."

"So you're not really afraid of change, because it sure sounds like you are."

Eric shrugged. "I'm not afraid of change, no, but there is a limit to what I can accept. Once that limit is reached I can become almost as stubborn as Red."

"Sometimes stubbornness wins out in the end."

He laughed at that and said, "It's painful for everyone, but yes, sometimes it's good to be stubborn. I'd make a good stock broker, but so many numbers would drive me mad. Patience is one of few virtues, and I don't make rash or hasty decisions."

"I guess you could say you are calculated and precise. Right?" she asked with a smile.

"I guess you could say that," he replied, grinning back. Fez came out of the bathroom a second later, his eyes drooping heavily and his walking only a little staggered. "Need some pick me up?" Eric asked as he laughed.

"Please," Fez replied as he rubbed his face.

"Here," Jackie said as she quickly poured him a mug of coffee and handed it to him.

The foreigner accepted it with greedy hands and took a wary sip. "Ah!" he exclaimed as he pulled the cup way from his lips.

"Good?" Eric asked with a sly grin.

"Mmhmm."

Laughing with Jackie, Eric got up and guided his friend to he couch, sitting him down and saying, "Don't forget, the coffee is really hot."

"Yeah," Fez replied sluggishly as he took another small sip.

Eric chuckled and went back to the counter and sat on the stool again. Jackie was on the other as he looked out the corner of his eye towards the back of Fez's head. "I don't think he remembers what happened last night."

"Is that for the best?"

"Probably not, but it means we might be able to pull the same stunt again without him hesitating to do it."

"You're evil," she said suddenly.

"So you've said many times before. My, Jackie, you've taken to repeating yourself over and over again."

Sticking her tongue out at him for his teasing, she hit his knee with hers. "I only repeat myself because you men never listen."

"I listen," he said softly so that Fez couldn't overhear them.

"Okay," she replied with a sly stare. "I'll be testing you."

"And if I pass do I get a treat?"

Seeing the devilish glint in his eye, she said, "Only if I think the mark is award worthy."

"I think I deserve an award for this," he said as he touched her where the makeup covered the red spot on her neck.

"That's earned you nothing, mister!" she said sternly, but softly. When he pouted like a child she almost melted at the sight, but steeled her resolve. "Don't give me that look."

Eric quickly grinned and calmly put his hand on her knee. Her legs were bare and he could feel the warmth of her skin on his. "I'll give you any look I want, you just don't have to pay attention to me."

"I can't help it; you're just too damn cute." She grabbed his cheek between her thumb and forefinger, shaking his head back and forth slightly.

"Cute is the last thing I'd ever expect anyone to say to me."

"You may not be the old Eric Forman, but there is some of that nice sincere boy in you to show me you haven't changed completely."

"Maybe time will heal that and I'll become a man," he replied with a grin.

"I hope not," she said as she snuck in a quick kiss when Fez's eyes seemed glued to the TV.

Eric returned the peck, but barely enough to register on her lips. Knowing exactly why she was being quick, he squeezed her knee affectionately and said, "I'll get you back, I promise."

"I'll hold you to it," she whispered, her nose just a few inches from his as she looked out the corner of her eye to make sure Fez wasn't watching them.

"What do you want to do today?" he asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want to go somewhere with everyone else, or just somewhere together?"

Jackie looked over to Fez and said, "We can't leave together with Fez here."

"Don't worry," he reassured her, "he'll get exhausted after he's done his coffee. He threw up a lot."

"Are you sure?" she asked, sounding skeptical.

"I'm fairly sure."

"Okay."

He could tell she didn't believe him, but he'd wait for his foreign friend to go back to bed, like he knew he would, before he gloated. "So, where do you want to go? We could go for a picnic in the park, drive out of town for a few hours?"

"It sounds like all you want to do is get me alone," she said with playful smirk.

"Is that so wrong?" he asked.

"No, not at all." Seeing that that Fez was paying no attention to them, she quickly stole another kiss and pulled back before he could respond.

"I owe you two now," he said.

"And you better deliver," she replied.

Fez turned around on the couch to find his friends sitting on the stools and talking to one another. They were out of earshot and he quickly interrupted them. "Hey, what are you guys talking about that you need to keep so quiet about?"

Eric turned to his foreign friend and said, "I was just telling Jackie how bad of a sight it was to see you in only your underwear."

"Nah, she's seen me naked," Fez said.

"You slept together?" Eric asked, facing Jackie suddenly.

"No," Jackie replied, "He decided one day, on his birthday a year ago, that he'd strut around as naked as the day he had come into the world."

Eric said to Fez, "You know, nakedness is only cute when you're a baby."

"It was my birthday," Fez objected.

"Needless to say," Jackie said, "I made him put on some clothes."

Eric nodded. "Good move, no one needs to see that, no one at all."

"Hey, I look good naked," Fez interjected as he stood up and walked to them.

"Only women look good naked, Fez!" Jackie said loudly.

Eric exchanged a look of confusion with Fez, and they both turned to Jackie and said in unison, "What?"

"I mean, well, guys are all hairy and stuff. Have you not seen those guys on the beach who look like they're wearing a sweater, but they're not?"

Eric shivered at the mental picture and said, "Okay, that's more than enough for my weak stomach."

Fez nodded and said, "I think I'm going back to bed. My head's still pounding and my stomach finally has something warm in it."

"Need us to tuck you in?" Jackie asked with a fleeting glance as he passed them by the counter.

"No," he replied with half sneer and walked into his room, shutting his door loudly behind him.

Eric said, "See, he went right back to bed."

"Don't gloat."

"But I live to," he replied with a grin.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Jackie hurried quietly, putting a few sandwiches into a small cooler, along with a few cans of soda and a couple oranges. They had decided to get away for the afternoon, to spend a little time alone until Fez would leave for California. "Anything else?" she asked.

"I don't think so," he replied softly, making sure to keep his voice down. He closed the cooler and went to the door, opening it and stepping into the hallway. Jackie followed after him rather quickly, almost dancing on the balls of her feet to be as quiet as possible. She quickly locked the door behind her and they both let out a sigh.

Jackie said, "Seeing how our luck has been like these past few days, I wouldn't be surprised if Fez comes walking out here in a few seconds."

"Then let's skedaddle." When she frowned at his use of such a silly word, he put his arm around her and ushered her to the stairs, not bothering to linger around in the hallway just in case Fez did walk out and see them.

"Eric!"

"No talking, just go!"

And so they went, faster than he had thought possible.

Jackie was no longer restricted by Laurie's smaller clothes. She had changed into a simple brown and white dress that flared out just slightly at the hips and ended at her knees. Her chest was completely covered, a small V showing her neck, much to his unspoken chagrin, and the sleeves went halfway down her biceps. Either way, whether he wanted to see her breasts or not, she looked stunning.

She said his name again in earnest, but he ushered her through the entrance once they had reached the bottom of the stairs. He was in pair of regular shoes, but she was again in her heeled sandals and was hopping every couple steps.

"Slow down," she said through a hurried breath.

He simply ignored her and swept her up in his arms, the cooler hanging from his elbow as he went for the Vista Cruiser.

"Eric," Jackie said through a fit of giggles.

"Just a second."

Jackie laughed loudly as he opened the door to the passenger seat and put her in. He did it very gently; much unlike how he had ran with her. She watched in amusement as he ran around the other side of the car and got in, placing the cooler into the back and starting the car at the same time. The sight was comical and she laughed again. As soon as the engine roared to life, he took off and her head snapped back. "Eee," she shrieked softly.

"Made it," Eric said with a deep sigh.

"From what?" she asked as she held her hand to her rapidly beating heart.

"From what? from prying eyes and one particular foreigner."

"But did you have to carry me to the car?"

"You were holding us up."

She could see the smile on his face and she shook her head. "Little boys and their games…"

"What about it?" he dared her to elaborate.

"Nothing, it's just an expression."

"Yeah, one I'd like to hear the end of."

"No."

He grinned at her and quickly removed his shirt. By the look on her face she hadn't been expecting it, and he tossed the black fabric in her lap.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Eric said, "I knew we might go do something, and a simple black t-shirt really isn't appropriate."

She was about to ask what he brought, but he was soon slipping on a dark green shirt with long sleeves that he rolled up to his elbows. It looked much nicer than the previous shirt he had been wearing. Almost having to grab the steering wheel to make sure they kept on the right side of the yellow line, she took a sharp inhale. She calmed down as he straightened out the wrinkles in his shirt and looked back to the road.

"You like it?" he asked.

"It looks good on you."

"I'm glad you said that, I just found it in my closet this morning. I guess my mom has continued to buy me clothes, even if I wasn't around."

"At least she has good taste."

Eric snorted softly, indicating it was of little significance. Then he suddenly remembered what Jackie had said earlier about not having a real mother. His heart dropped into his stomach as he realized he had just taken his mother for granted in front of someone who really didn't have one. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry about what?" Jackie asked with a frown.

"I know you grew up with a very absent minded mother, and I know it bothers you to see me take my mom for granted sometimes. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." She smiled weakly. "I envy you, I really do, but that doesn't mean I can't handle how you speak of your mother sometimes. Kitty is a very over protective mother and I think I understand what you mean, I just never had any of that so I pause when you mention things about how your mother is smothering you."

"I'll try my best to keep those comments to myself from now on."

"I wouldn't want you to change just for me."

Eric shrugged. "I've been changing this whole past year; one more little habit won't be hard to do away with."

"You really don't have to."

"But I want to, so let's leave it at that."

Jackie smiled as his grin and said, "Okay, but just promise me you'll tell your mom you love her once in a while."

"Done," he answered.

"Where did that come from?" he asked a second later.

"I don't know, I just feel as if life isn't so certain anymore and the next thing you know your parents could be gone."

"Actually, that's a rather ironic statement."

"What?" she asked.

Eric said, "I may have convinced my parents to buy a Winnebago and travel across the country. They could go away quicker than we realize."

"You convinced them? Your father doesn't usually take your advice."

He laughed at that and said, "He never does, and that's why I find it so ironic it's funny. But couldn't you see them touring the country in a motor-home?"

"Absolutely, they'd have more fun than they could ever imagine. Your father only likes spending time with your mom, and visiting all the states or simply driving to the west coast would be great for them."

"Maybe I'll tell them to go to Canada?"

Jackie laughed at him. "No, I doubt Red would agree to that."

Eric shrugged and said. "You never know, there are only so many states and so many landmarks to see. And in due time they'll see them all and need to find fresh places to visit. Plus, if he wants to get to Alaska he's going to have to go through Canada anyways." When that dawned upon Jackie, she smiled at him and he grinned back. "It's the eighties; Canada isn't full of war dodgers anymore. My father might actually go."

"Don't you think you're getting a little ahead of yourself with all this?"

"Not really, I think they would decide on this quick. My mother has always been the spontaneous type and my father might want to surprise her. We'll see, but I see it happening."

"Me too," she replied, "but maybe not a soon as you think it might."

"Well, either way it will be hard to wake up in the morning with no breakfast on table, but I'll manage. I did spend two years in Africa cooking and cleaning for myself."

"And what about a whole house?" she asked. "You know for a fact that Steven will trash the place with party after party."

"I doubt it."

"What do you mean you doubt it? This is Steven we're talking about."

"Yes, this is Hyde we're talking about, but not the same Hyde we all know. He's changed like the rest of us. Can you even tell me the last time you saw him hit up a joint?"

Jackie thought about it for a second then said, "Actually, I can't."

"See, he's changed. He's a working man now. Rest is what he needs to keep him fresh for the next day."

"We're all becoming suburbanites," Jackie said with a laugh.

"You laugh now, but in ten years it will be true and you'll wonder to yourself how in the world it happened."

"But that's life isn't it, you end up somewhere where you didn't expect, and you could realize it's better than anything you could have planned."

Eric grinned and turned down the street and headed for the outskirts of Point Place. "Life is random and painful, but it's also calculated and joyful too. That's why it's so great. If we're lucky we are given seventy or so years to do so many things. The only problem is that you never feel like you have enough time."

"Time is never something you have enough of. It's what I believe you said a few days ago."

"I did," he replied. "Now, have you decided where you want to go?"

"To tell you the truth I haven't really thought about it. I was too preoccupied talking to you."

"Oops, I'm making you lose focus, maybe it's time for some glasses?"

His joke was wrong on two levels, each subject meant something completely different than how it sounded. But that didn't keep her from laughing though. She wheezed out blissfully and said, "I've always wondered what I'd look like in glasses."

"Oh, you'd look great in a pair of old reading glasses that rest on the tip of your nose."

She knew he was joking, but she hit his thigh none the less. "I am not a librarian or an old lady."

"Brooke wears them," Eric replied in defense.

"But she can pull it off with her body."

"It's not all about appearances; you'd still look great even in those glasses."

"I'm too self conscious, I'd rip them off the instant I saw myself in the mirror."

Eric nodded and said, "If you say so," and picked up the speed as they exited the suburbs and began to head into the country.

"I do say so. Hey, where in the world are we going anyways?"

"I'm not sure. We're driving on this road until you decide."

"Me decide? You're the one driving the car."

"But I'd prefer to make us both happy by letting you pick the place."

Jackie frowned at him. "Are you saying that if you picked the place I wouldn't be happy?"

"If we ate at some greasy truck stop on a picnic table, you'd likely sit in the car while I eat, but if you pick the place you'll be happy."

"What about you?"

"I'll simply be happy that you're happy."

"I swear I think I'm beginning to understand your play with words," she said.

"I don't play with words; I just decide to shorten my vocabulary at times. It would have been more convenient if I said: I'll simply be content that you're happy."

"But content is less than happy, why not use ecstatic?"

He laughed. "Do you see me as and ecstatic person?"

"No, maybe a little eccentric though."

"Eccentric?" he asked loudly in surprise. "I may be a little different, but hell, we all are. I'd have to be rich to be considered eccentric. Until you have money you are simply labeled crazy. But with money no one dares to call you crazy."

"Material wealth, is that all you think about?" she asked sarcastically and put her nose in the air and directed her gaze out the window.

"What if it is, would you leave me because of it?" He wasn't about to lose the little game they were playing.

"Leave you?" she asked with a high pitched laugh. "Ha! I'd be stuck with you because I couldn't make it out on my own. I'm a shallow and naïve little girl, remember?"

Eric watched in amusement when she stuck her tongue out at him. She wasn't facing him, but she could see her reflection in the car window. "You know, I told you before, but your face will one day stay that way."

"And once again I ask you how that is possible?"

"Instead of coincidence, this time I'll make it permanent."

"Empty threats," she condescended him with a laugh. Suddenly the car was running off the road and onto the shoulder. She turned to see what was wrong, but the mirth in his eyes and lips caused her to frown lopsided. "What?"

"I'm going to get you for that," he said with a laugh as he reached over to her.

"We're in the middle of nowhere," Jackie said suddenly.

"So?"

"So! What if some farmer sees you running after me and shoots you?"

"They'll I'll have a funny story to tell my kids one day."

As his hand came closer, she shrieked mildly and opened the door a little. "I'll do it; I will run from your eccentric ass." He smiled at her and reached over even farther. She quickly stuck her tongue out and removed herself from the car, darting down the shoulder and away from him.

Eric didn't expect her to actually run, but he got over the shock quickly and grabbed the keys from the ignition and chased after her. "I'm going to get you!" he hollered through a laugh as he closed the distance between them. She was in a dress and heeled sandals while he was in jeans and regular shoes, it was no contest. In a matter of no time he caught up to her and cackled. "I'm getting closer!"

Jackie looked back and her eyes widened as she saw he was right on her heels. They were getting father and farther away from the car. The trees went by at an alarming rate as her heart beat wildly. There were no other cars on the road, but she knew it wouldn't be long before one would crest the hill behind them. It was Wisconsin after all, and the road was paved.

He smiled evilly as he closed the distance and said, "I've got you." She shook her head vehemently as he galloped after her, her dress escaping his fingers by near inches as he tried to grab her. She was much faster in those heeled sandals than he had thought possible.

"You rip my dress Eric Forman and I'll tear your fingers off your hand." Her threat seemed lost on him as she looked back. He was only a foot from her, jogging at what looked like half speed. Giggling like a little girl, she got off the gravel and let her footwear slip away. On the pavement and in only her bare feet, she took off sprinting and said, "You lost your chance."

Eric's eyes bulged as she had kicked out of her footwear in one motion and had taken off on the pavement in a hurry. She was much faster than he could have ever imagined. Urging himself to go faster, he said, "I'm still faster!"

"No you're-," but she was interrupted mid sentence as she looked back and he caught her. In one smooth motion he tackled her into the waist high grass of the ditch. She didn't feel a single piece of her body hit the ground as he took the brunt of it.

Eric let out a heavy breath but took it in stride. Jackie was still laughing like crazy as they tumbled into the ditch and he came to lie on his back with her lying on top of him. "See, I got you," he said, blinking and looking up at her.

Jackie settled down and opened her eyes with a considerable effort. She had been laughing so hard she could barely open her eyes. "You got me alright!" she exclaimed through a fit of giggles as she rested on top of him. "You got me good."

"I got you good," he affirmed.

She settled down and took a deep breath, allowing herself to keep her eyes open for longer than a few seconds. He was lying below her, his nose almost touching hers, but she could see the huge smile on his face. It was a look of longing, something that caused butterflies to erupt in her stomach. "What did you do all that for?" she asked as she touched his nose with hers and smiled.

"I don't know. Do I really need a reason?"

"I guess not, but I almost tripped in those damned sandals."

Eric let his arms lie in the grass to his side as she laid on top of him still. "You're sure fast without those sandals though. I thought I had you in my hands but you slipped out of them and bolted like a groundhog."

"But you still caught me." She smiled and picked a piece of grass from his hair.

"I have longer legs."

"So it's all about leverage?" she asked, laughing again.

He nodded. About to say something, he was interrupted as she put her lips on his. Closing his eyes as she had her hands on his hair, he put his own on the small of her back. When she finally ended it and pulled her head up a little, he said, "It is all about-."

She shut him up by kissing him again, smiling the whole time as she knew he was playing their little game still.

Eric kissed her hard for a few moments, but pulled away from her lips to get a breath of air and said, "It is all about leverage. My legs are stronger and longer than yours and I-," he was again cut off as she kissed him even harder.

Jackie pulled up after a few seconds and laughed. "Just shut up."

"But I-."

She kissed him yet again, even harder. Pulling back, she said it again. "Just shut up, please."

"All it took was the magic word," he replied. That earned a laugh and another kiss, but this time he returned it and gently rolled her over, slipping his tongue gently into her mouth and grazing her teeth. He could hear the crickets in the deep grass as they trampled and packed it with their rolling bodies as they went down the small but gentle slope to where there might be water. They weren't particularly concerned about getting wet though. They were too far gone in their own little world.

They ended up back with her on top of them as they hit the bottom of the small ditch. The grass was even longer than by was the shoulder, but they were lucky that the moisture that had caused it to grow so much taller wasn't there. It was technically still spring and Jackie knew they should have hit a small ditch creek, but they got lucky. Feeling as if things were on her side, she continued to kiss him as the butterflies in her stomach began to increase twofold. She didn't know why he had just chased her down the road, but she didn't really care. It was more fun than she had had in months, and if lying in tall grass and kissing him was the outcome, she might even be persuaded to call it one of the best experiences of her life.

A horn honked and suddenly she stopped kissing him and pulled back.

"Not again," Eric groaned.

Jackie smiled at him and put a hand on his chest, pushing herself up to look over the grass. Eric let out a loud breath, but she knew he could support her weight. Her eyes slowly drifted over the grass and she saw a red truck pulled over and a farmer leaning towards them with the passenger window open.

"Are you alright?" the farmer asked.

"I'm fine," Jackie said with a smile.

"What about the man chasing you?" He got his answer when suddenly a hand appeared above the grass, a thumb sticking high into the air. "I just thought you might have been in some trouble."

Jackie said, "I thank you for your concern, but my boyfriend and I were just having a little fun."

The farmer leaned over a little farther to see them and nodded. "You two have a nice day, then," he said.

"You too," Jackie replied. The farmer tipped his ball cap and shuffled back over to the steering wheel. The pickup truck rumbled along and slowly disappeared from view over a small hill. When the sound of the vehicle could no longer be heard, she burst out in laughter. When she realized that he hadn't joined in, she stopped and looked at Eric. His eyes were unfocused, but were narrow and pointed at the same time. It seemed impossible, but they were. "What, don't you think that always getting interrupted is funny?"

Eric nodded his head, the grass moving below his hair. "I do, but I'm more taken back about you calling me your boyfriend."

"I didn't?" she asked loudly and placed both her hands over her mouth.

He could see her smile behind her hands and said, "You did."

"Nope!" she said quickly and shook her head. "I refuse to believe you."

"Whether you choose to believe me or not, I still know what I heard. You called me your boyfriend."

His sly grin caused her to put away the small charade. "Okay, I said it, but why is it so important to you?"

"It's not, I just wanted you to think it was."

"Why?" she asked dubiously.

"So I could do this."

"Do what?" she asked, but was shocked into silence as he lifted her bra out from under her dress and held it up on a finger.

"How in the world?" she asked in amazement.

"I know a trick or two," he replied with a wry grin.

"You're an evil bastard, you know that don't you?" When he simply continued to grin, she snapped her bra out of his hands and said, "You take it off, but how am I supposed to get it back on?"

"I can do that for you if you like."

"I think not," she replied with a laugh and sat up on his lap. Holding her bra down to him, she said, "If you're really that adamant about fondling my breasts, I could charge you a dollar."

"That would make you a prostitute," he said with a laugh.

Jackie wrinkled her nose and swatted his arm. She didn't have overly large breasts, so going without a bra wasn't painful. When he still continued to grin, she got to her knees and eventually to her feet, holding her bra tightly in her left hand. "I'm not a prostitute."

"I know that," he replied sarcastically as he leaned up on an elbow. "That being said, I haven't seen you without a bra before."

"Yes you have."

"Okay, maybe I have, but then I wasn't paying much attention."

Jackie tossed the bra onto his chest and smiled. "But now you pay attention. You sound as if you've been waiting for me to mature just so you could steal a glance, how gentlemanly of you, Eric."

Eric laughed and got up, sticking her bra in his back pocket and brushing the grass and dirt off his clothes. The ground had been dry so they hadn't stained their clothes with mud. His green shirt hid any grass stains, and Jackie looked like she had escaped any major stains.

"That was fun," Jackie said softly as she picked off a few pieces of grass that were stuck to her afternoon dress.

"It was, wasn't it," he replied as he picked a few strands of grass from her hair and tossed them aside. They quickly got caught up in the wind and were carried away. Helping her out of the ditch, he lifted her in his arms and walked towards the car.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"You're in bare feet and I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself on a piece of gravel that may be on the road."

Jackie nodded and said. "I'm surprised I didn't step on one while I was running."

"Me too," he replied as he got her to her sandals and put her down.

Bending down to slip on her sandals, she looked up at him at the same time. "Is it okay that I call you my boyfriend? You really never said anything concrete."

He waited until she had her sandals on and he again swept her of her feet. "Of course it's okay."

Jackie laughed and said, "Then you can put me down okay?"

He simply nodded and dropped her to her feet again. Walking hand in hand back to the car, he suddenly realized they had run pretty far. "We sure ran a ways."

"We sure did."

"Though I'll admit, I could have just as easily come after you with the car."

"That would be cheating, mister!" She turned and walked backwards in front of him. Poking him in the chest with a finger she said, "I don't like cheaters."

"So you've made that abundantly clear before," She smiled at him, but it disappeared as she tripped walking backwards in the gravel. Before she could fall on her butt, his hand in hers kept her upright. She dangled from him for a second but he helped her regain her footing. "Careful now."

"I know," she responded with a roll of her eyes, turning around and walking forwards alongside him.

"No you don't, you almost tripped."

"No I didn't," she refuted with her nose in the air.

Eric grinned and said, "Actually, you did trip, but you didn't fall."

Jackie pushed his shoulder with her own, causing him to teeter just a little.

He let go of her hand and exaggerated the slight push, throwing himself into he ditch and rolling over a few times. He got up to one knee and looked at her, bewildered. "What was that for?" She didn't buy it though. She was looking upon him as if he was an idiot and had a hand on her hip. "What?" he asked innocently a second later.

"Quit the little act and get back up here," she said with a laugh.

"No, you pushed me in, you have to help me back up."

"The ditch is only a foot down!" she argued.

"So, that doesn't mean I didn't role my ankle."

Her face etched in worry as she said, "You hurt your ankle?" She gently walked towards him. "I'm sorry, but it was you who vaulted into the ditch."

"I know," he replied softly.

"Are you okay?" She was genuinely concerned. He had a slight limp.

"I'm just fine," he stated loudly and walked past her, and around the car.

"Hey!" Jackie exclaimed loudly. "You lied!"

As she spun around to him, staring heatedly from the other side of the car, he grinned and said, "So, what are you going to do about it?"

Jackie squinted her eyes and stared at him. "Nothing at the moment, but I promise you I'll get you when you least expect it."

"Now who's making empty threats?" He laughed and got in, taking the keys out of his right pocket and slipping them into the ignition. Jackie got in beside him and seemed to be purposely avoiding his gaze.

"My threats aren't empty, I'll get you. That's a promise."

"I'm shaking in my boots," he teased her. "Now, there is another thing we forgot to do before we got side tracked."

"Side tracked?" she asked with a wide smile. "I'd say we got pushed off the tracks."

"No, we weren't pushed. We did it of our own fruition."

"Quit being so technical," she said as she swatted his arm. When he just grinned, she said, "What is it we forgot to do?"

Eric started the car and said, "We, well you, forgot to pick a place to eat."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Jackie put a finger to her lips as Eric started the car and pulled back onto the road. "I'm not exactly sure where I want to eat. We brought our own food so anywhere is possible."

"But anywhere is everywhere."

"Well, I don't know where we should eat then, maybe we should have just had lunch in the ditch back there?"

Eric sighed and realized she was getting slightly aggravated. "Fine, I'll pick a place to eat lunch and you'll just have to put up with it."

"Good!"

"I wonder where the nearest rippers is," he said aimlessly as he tapped the steering wheel with his thumb.

"I don't think so," Jackie said suddenly.

"What, you didn't want to pick a spot, so I'm going to. You made your own bed here and you're going to lie in it whether you like it or not."

"We have a cooler, we made our own lunch, and we'll eat it outside."

"Ah, nude beach it is." He turned down a side road made of gravel, going to the lake that was only twenty miles out of town.

"There's no nude beach out here," Jackie said with a laugh. "You're hopeful wishing won't make it true either."

"Darn, and here I thought I was a magician."

She laughed at him and rolled the window down. The early summer air was warm, especially as noon was settling in, but there was a cool wind blowing in that was rather refreshing. "Did you tell your parents that you might be away for a few hours?"

"No, but that's okay. My parents understand I'm not a little kid anymore."

"Your mother too?"

Eric laughed. "Okay, maybe not my mother, but my dad will make sure she's okay with it." Spying the sign that read _Winiscoss Lake_, the car passed over a slight uprising by a T intersection. From the tire tracks it was obvious most people turned left, but instead they continued straight down a dusty and narrow gravel road.

"I've never been to the lake before," Jackie said.

"Really?"

"No. You have?"

"A couple times. It's the highest point looking down on Winiscoss Lake. If you walk down the small cliff there's a sand beach that extends about a hundred feet from the water."

"It's a public park then?"

Eric shook his head. "No, not exactly. It's owned by a private businessman from the city. He built a massive mansion on the other side of the lake that is only accessible by boat. He allows people to use the beach by the docks."

"That sounds nice of him."

Eric shrugged. He knew nothing more than what he had heard from others. "There isn't much there. I think there might be an outhouse and a few fire pits, but other than that it's just sand."

"That's fine, as long as there is a picnic table somewhere."

"I think there's a few," he replied with a grin.

Jackie leaned an arm on the open window and looked straight ahead. The road winded back in forth alongside a river, covered thickly by trees and almost impossible to see. "This would be the prefect place to escape reality," she said.

"It is. I always found the sound of the tree leaves and the waves breaking upon the beach relaxing."

"Do you think anyone else will be there?"

Eric nodded. "It's Sunday so I would expect there to be a few. It's not a big beach though, so there shouldn't be too many."

"Good, because I'd hate to run into someone we know and get busted."

"I highly doubt we'll see someone we know."

Jackie laughed. "You can doubt it all you want, but with our luck I wouldn't be overly surprised."

"Nothing is impossible," Eric replied. "Besides, that just means we'll have to keep our eyes open even wider. All this cloak and dagger stuff will keep us on our toes."

"I just wish we could tell everyone," Jackie said with a sigh.

"I know, and I do too, but we have a good reason not to."

"I know," she echoed softly as she looked out the passenger door. Just a few feet from the road were hundreds of trees, and just beyond them she could see the river that no doubt led into the lake.

Eric grabbed her hand in his and said, "It'll be hard, and we'll have to keep our wits about ourselves, but in due time we will tell them. Things like these take a long time to adjust to, and sometimes it's easier to ease everyone into it. I can't tell you how hard it was to fathom you and Hyde together for the first time."

"I really never understood that whole situation. I was selfish at wanting Steven and I didn't really care what it did to my friends."

"When it comes to romance, Jackie, it's hard not to be selfish. It feels so good that you think nothing else matters. I won't hold that against a person if they spring it upon their friends by accident, like how we found you and Hyde, but there is a much better way of going about it. I'm always conscious of not hurting others and I just feel this is the best way to do it."

Jackie smiled. "Even Fez thinks it was a mistake."

"He does, but he'll figure it out before everyone."

"Well, we decided we would tell him before he left."

"I guess we did. I just hope he can keep a secret."

"He can when he's not surrounded by the rest of us. He can blabber about us with his friends on tour all he wants, but none of them even know who we are."

Eric nodded and said, "I guess we're lucky there."

"Incredibly lucky," she replied and rubbed his hand with her thumb. "When do you think it will be okay to tell them?"

He smiled helplessly and shrugged. "I don't know, maybe we'll just know when it happens, but maybe it might serve us best if my mother tells them. Honestly, I have no idea and it's something I'm scared about."

"More like terrified."

Eric nodded and gripped her hand tighter. "I'm not sure how everyone will react, but they've all changed. I just hope none of them hold a torch for you anymore."

"Not just me, Donna could have a thing for you still."

"No, she let that part of her life when we broke up. She is much happier with Randy than I could have ever made her."

"You underestimate your ability to make someone happy," Jackie said.

"Oh, I know I could make her happy in a certain way, but in the end she wouldn't be. I could be the best boyfriend and eventual husband. I could have pampered her silly or simply been the most loving man in the world, but she would still be somewhat resentful of me. Donna is destined to leave Point Place."

"I thought you didn't believe in destiny?"

"I don't believe in predetermined destiny. Donna's goal has always been to get out, and she needs to do that. She may return, or not, who knows, but she needs to leave and see what else is out there."

"Same as what you did when you went to Africa?"

"In a way it's the same."

Jackie said, "As long as she finds what makes her happy."

Eric nodded and turned the steering wheel a little to take a sharp corner. "That's all I want for her too."

"It must be nice to have the ability to do something difficult when you want the complete opposite. I remember with Michael and Steven. Even though they cheated on me, I still wanted each of them. I ended up going back to them each time and got hurt again. Those are hard lessons to learn."

"I know, and I wish everyone could be spared that pain, but I do understand that each person has to learn in some way. I learned through an unspeakable horror, you learned through emotional distress, but we're both technically in the same spot. We're both a little smarter for what we experienced and we know what not to do to stay out of that pain again."

"What pain is worse, what you saw or the break up with Donna?"

Eric thought about it for a second, then said, "The first time we broke up it was parallel to what I witnessed in Africa, but the pain of a breakup doesn't linger like the pain of death. And when we broke up a year ago it was more of a relief."

Jackie let go of his hand and turned in her seat, leaning both arms onto the window sill and resting her chin on them. "Let's just hope what we're doing doesn't end up painful. I don't think I could live with myself."

He sighed. There was a pain within her that he couldn't really familiarize with. She had been through two very emotional and very hurtful relationships. It had scarred her, made her skeptical about what true love was. She had thought herself in love in both instances, and now she doubted if she could go through that pain again. Placing a hand on her back, he said, "I know you've been through a lot, but the worst thing you could do is shut yourself away. From there loneliness is only a step away, and believe me, it's not somewhere you want to be."

"Do you know how un-assuring your words are when I can't even begin to believe you?" She sighed in frustration and closed her eyes.

Eric removed his hand and set it back on his knee. "There are certain things each person has a hard time believing. You accept my advice about life without hesitation, but when it comes to relationships you're so scarred by the past you simply can't believe that there is something out there such as true love."

"I should believe there is, happiness and love go together."

"No, not exactly," he replied.

"What?" she asked as she turned back to him and wiped away a small tear forming in her left eye.

Eric said, "Love and happiness is not the same thing. They can be if you're one of the few people in this world that needs love to make them happy, but you're not."

"How do you know that?"

"Don't ask me to explain, I just know." When she continued to look skeptical, he said, "When I look into your eyes I can see it plain as day. You're searching for what will make you happy. Sure, maybe a man can make you happy in some regards, but you have to find something else that makes you happy; A job perhaps, children, family, who knows. You won't find it until you've tried it."

"But I was happy with Michael and Steven."

"And you eventually became miserable. No one relationship will make you one hundred percent happy. That's just a given, but it's when that percentage is heavily favored in the happy department is when you might have found something that could add to your happiness."

Jackie snorted a laugh. "This would be much more helpful if I was talking to someone who knew what made them happy."

Eric laughed and said, "Just give me time."

She laughed at his pleading. "I'll give you all the time you need. Who knows, I might even complete my journey towards all this before you do."

"You very well could, but this isn't a race."

"I know that, I was just saying."

"I know," he said with grin and put a hand on her knee. "Time is a precious thing and we just have to allow it to take its course."

"I'm not a very patient person," Jackie said.

He pulled into a small parking area where only a few other cars occupied, and parked. "I know you're impatient, but that's okay. I'm the opposite and I intend to keep you occupied for a while."

"What do you have mind?" she asked, getting out of the parked car and closing the door.

Eric leaned his arms on top of the Vista Cruiser and looked across the roof at her. "I don't have anything planned, but I'm sure I'll come up with something. It all depends if you like things to be spontaneous or not."

Jackie thought about it for a second as Eric removed the cooler from the back seat. "I'm not sure if I'm the spontaneous type or not. I spent most of my life knowing what I was getting into. Money was always there and I knew where I was going to spend it. I never made brash decisions with it, even when I had more than enough to burn miscellaneously."

He walked around the vehicle and took her hand gently in his and guided them to the small walkway that led to the cliff. "We'll see what happens. I'll surprise you a bunch of times and then plan some things. Then we'll see what you like more. I tend to believe you're more spontaneous than you might think."

"Really?" she asked sarcastically as they went down a dirt path into the surrounding forest.

"I think you would like to be surprised. They would be good surprises of course, but when I see that look on your face I just can't get enough of it. It's one in a million."

She smiled and looked at him. He was one in a million himself, but she would tell him that some other time. "Do you have any surprises in store for me today?"

"Maybe," he replied slyly with a grin.

"When?"

Eric laughed and said, "If I tell you it won't be a surprise."

"Humbug," Jackie cursed softly, earning a chuckle out of Eric as he held tightly onto her hand. His fingers easily enveloped her own. They made her feel safe and protected, as if he was her own personal bodyguard. It amused her that of all lectures she had received from Donna about how a woman should be able to take care of herself and feel safe, but she still felt better with a man by her side. Donna would have pitied her if she had told her that, but Jackie knew enough to know she needed a man by her side. It felt right.

Suddenly they came out of the woods, each stopping quickly at the breathtaking sight before them. Laid out in front of their eyes was a lake, completely still and calm as if it hidden away in the recesses of time.. It was easily three miles across to the other shore, the width nearly the same size. The massive mansion on the other side of the lake was clearly evident, the sun shining off the windows and reflecting back to them. The shoreline was right up to the forest, save where there was a beach front at the mansion.

Jackie closed her mouth slowly and stared agape. It was easily one of the more beautiful things she had ever seen. The tranquility and the sound of only birds caused a calmness to sweep through her body and warm her to the core of her being. "It's beautiful," she said a second later after overcoming her amazement.

"That it is," Eric replied as looked around the large lake. He had seen it a few times already, but it never failed to amaze him every time he saw it.

"I don't see the beach."

"It's this way," he responded as he guided her over to a thicket of brush and trees, finding a small worn path that lead down the hill.

Jackie held onto his hand as the path became narrow, the odd rock causing her to stiffen slightly as she realized she wasn't in the best footwear for such an endeavor. Eric seemed to pick up on her hesitancy and squeezed her hand tighter, reassuring her that she'd be fine. Smiling at him weakly, she continued down the slippery path with caution, taking small steps every time he would take big ones. It took a few minutes, but by the time they were at the bottom, her calves were aching and her feet were sore. The instant they took another step forward, they hit beach sand and she removed her heeled sandals. With them off she stood almost a head shorter than the man holding her hand, but she didn't care.

"The sand is nice and warm," she said.

Eric guided them towards a picnic table in the sand, it's feet closer to the water than he would have preferred. Normally such a close proximity to the water would mean seagulls left and right, but luckily there was none.

With her sandals dangling from her right hand, she walked with him towards the red picnic table. As they got closer she could tell that there was no one else on the beach. "Where is everybody? There were cars back there."

"Most people just use the trails that run around the lake, but it could be that the owner across the lake is here." He nodded his head to the small dock not two hundred feet away. "The boat isn't there, so I would assume he is."

"Well, if I remember correctly those cars back up on the hill looked rather expensive."

Eric simply nodded and put the cooler on the picnic table. The table was painted red, the color beginning to fade from the effects of the weather. It was splintered horribly on the seats, but he found a suitable spot and let Jackie sit there. "I wouldn't want you splintering that perfect bottom of yours," he said as he held her hand as she stepped over the seat carefully.

"Well, I'd hate to see you hurt yours."

He sat across from her and said, "I'm wearing jeans so I'm good."

"Oh," she replied, pulling the cooler towards herself. She pulled out her soda and opened it. Taking a gentle sip, she looked out upon the water without blinking. It seemed like perfection.

Eric reached into the cooler and withdrew his drink and sandwich. He could see Jackie was transfixed by the calm water. "You should see it when it gets windy."

"What?" she asked, turning to him suddenly as he had ripped her from her moment of silence.

"When the wind picks up, the waves reach almost four feet high."

She peered back to the water and said, "I find that hard to believe."

"The lake is rather big if you think about it, and when the wind picks up it comes in from the west over the small hill just beyond the shoreline. It funnels down onto the water and pushes it here to the beach. It can get pretty choppy."

"And you've witnessed it?"

Eric shook his head and said, "No, but last time I was here there was a moderate breeze from the west and the waves were over a foot high. It's not a stretch to believe that with a strong wind the waves would be considerably high."

"Oh," she said as she reached into the cooler and retrieved her sandwich. Removing it from the wrapping, she took a bite and chewed. "When was the last time you were here?"

"About two and a half years ago. I came by myself."

"By yourself?" she asked with a frown.

"Sometimes I like to just think and this place seemed like the best place. It was much like today, no people, just me and the water. Oh, and the odd mosquito. That being said, it was a great place to come and think. I sat on the end of the dock for almost an hour."

"Did you not get a sunburn?"

Eric shook his head and swallowed a mouthful. "It was sunny, but there were enough cumulous clouds in the sky that I'd only been directly in the sun for a minute or two at a time."

Jackie looked up to the sky and squinted. "Much like today."

"Very much so, but I'll admit it's nice being here with someone else who can appreciate it. The first time I was here it was for a beach party in high school. It was night and we really never got to see all this." He swept his hand out to the water. "It's truly a magnificent site."

"It sure is," she replied through a mouthful of food. She swallowed hard and took a drink. "Eric, you've explained to me what you saw in Africa, but is there anything you liked about it?"

He peered at her from behind his soda can, inspecting her face. She seemed genuinely curious, so he said, "There were a number of things I liked."

"Tell me about them," Jackie said as she took another bite of her sandwich.

"Well, one of the first things I remember fondly is the children I taught. South Africa is sort of a small British colony. The children in the schools in the larger cities spoke with a British accent. I didn't mind since we understood one another rather well, but it surprised me that after teaching them for a few months they began to sound more American."

"How did that happen?"

Eric shrugged and said, "I guess that listening to me talk all the time they picked up on it. When I would teach English I would teach what I knew from school. Some words they had never heard, and sounded strange in their accent. In time I guess they began to incorporate those words into their vocabulary and it affected the rest of their language. It was truly a remarkable sight."

"So you didn't mean to make them speak like you?"

"Purely unintentional," he replied, taking a drink. "What about you, how in the world did you end up getting a job doing the weather?"

Jackie perked up a little as she was asked a question about herself. Even if she was a changed woman, she still took pleasure indulging others in her accolades. "Well, I owe a lot to Donna. She had become so good at spinning the dials at the radio station they put her in charge of producing her own show. Her work was very original and quite remarkable and in no time the television station came calling for her. I was working as an assistant for a woman at the stations afternoon sit down show when Donna was given the assistant producer job for the morning and lunch newscasts. It was two weeks after she had gotten the job that they were looking for a rookie on camera reporter and naturally she suggested me and I got the job."

Eric said, "It sounds like Donna has a lot of pull around the news station."

"She does, but she still had a directing producer above her that had final say. He said I was perfect for on screen because I was beautiful and perky."

"Perky?" he asked with a frown.

"Yeah, yeah. Well anyways, I got the job and I spent almost a year in the field covering all sorts of stories. Some were boring, but the odd time something exciting might happen and I'd get to cover it. It's hard breaking in, especially with the experienced men on important assignments, but I got a lucky break. The weatherman retired, he was well into his sixties and the station wanted to go in a fresh direction. They thought putting in a weathergirl was a good idea. The next day I came in ready for my assignment in the field, but the director just shoved me into the makeup room and said I was doing the weather."

"Scary?" he asked.

"Frightening is more like it," she replied. "I thought I'd screw up so horribly they would fire me before I was done the weather. Luckily Donna was right there smiling and encouraging me on; otherwise I would have messed up. When I finished the morning news I was sweating."

"Sweating?" he asked in shock.

Seeing his eyebrows rise, she said, "I know, I never sweat, but there were more than a few drips falling from my brow. Luckily I was off the air by the time they got into my mascara."

Eric said, "I could only imagine how horrified you'd have been with running mascara on live television."

"I know, I would have likely run away." When he laughed slightly, she continued. "I got changed and by the time the news at noon rolled around, and I had seen my tape of the morning news over and over again, I was pretty confident. From then on it's been a rather easy ride to where I am now."

"I'm glad you enjoy your work."

"It's what I always thought I'd be good at."

Eric said, "Not only are you more than beautiful enough to be on TV, but we get to see you every weekday. I'm sure there are a dozen men in Point Place with a crush on the local weathergirl."

"Isn't that just flattering," she said sarcastically with a grin as she finished her food.

"Soon you'll have your very own stalker."

She admonished him by slapping his hand on the table with her own. "I'm not a celebrity."

"You never know, everyone needs to start somewhere."

"I don't think I could handle stardom."

Eric frowned. "I always thought you dreamed of being an internationally acclaimed model slash actress."

Jackie shrugged and said, "I always dreamed of it, but now I'm not sure if I really want it."

"This is my fault then?" he asked with a sly grin.

"Yes, it's your fault," she replied, slapping his hand again. "If you had never ripped the veil away I would be on the path to becoming the next greatest diva."

"You'd never be a diva."

"What?" she asked with a frown.

Eric chuckled and said, "You're too short."

"I am not! I'm the perfect height for a woman. Put me in heels and I am that much more stunning. Heels are a girl's best friend don't you know."

He smiled and nodded. "Inferiority complex 101."

"I do not have an inferiority complex about my height," she said rather pointedly.

"Yes you do, you're surrounded by a best friend who's a great deal taller than you, and I'm six feet. You're the smallest person in the group."

Jackie laughed at his teasing and said, "Maybe I should just hang out with your mom, she's my height."

Eric's brows rose on his forehead. "I guess you can learn how to cook then."

"Maybe it's time I learned," she replied. "I can't be making sandwiches my whole life."

He finished his food and said, "Hey, there's nothing wrong with a good sandwich."


	22. Chapter 22

**Philosophy runs kind of rampant here, along with politics and a little theology as well. I debated about whether or not I was going to post this chapter or re-write it, but even though it's kind of heavy in terms of subject matter, I still feel that it gives the characters more depth. I don't know, I could be completely wrong, so tell me what you think. **

* * *

Chapter 22

Eric sat against the trunk of a large maple tree, Jackie in-between his legs and leaning against his chest. He had his arms rapped protectively, if not lovingly, around her waist, his fingers entwined on her stomach. His nose was right in her hair as his chin rested gently upon her head, his nostrils instantly picking on the fruity smell. He had a hard time pin pointing the exact scent, but enjoyed it without disturbing the comfortable silence that had enveloped them. The lake was still as calm as when they arrived almost and hour ago. Lunch had been generic, but as he held her he knew this moment more than made up for it.

"What are you thinking?" Jackie asked as she smiled in his arms, her hands gently on his.

"I was thinking how nice the silence was."

She swatted his right forearm and sunk her head back farther into his chest, even though such an act was more than likely impossible. His embrace was inviting and warm, and under the shade of the large tree she didn't need the sun to heat her body. "What were you really thinking?"

Eric sighed as he realized the silence was over and he'd have to respond. "I was thinking about how perfect this moment is."

"Me too, I don't ever want you to let go."

He placed his chin closer to her forehead and said, "Too bad nothing lasts forever."

"What about love?"

"Okay, that might be one of the exceptions. Actually, come to think of it, that expression is horribly inane."

"How so?"

"There are a number of things that last forever."

Jackie smiled and said, "That depends on how you interpret forever."

"Infinity," Eric said.

"Infinity is a long time, I doubt anything lasts that long."

He nodded sadly and looked out across the water from under the tree. They were about a hundred yards east of the beach, but not out of viewing range should others visit the lake. "I doubt anyone really understands the magnitude of the word forever. It is defined as unending, but the average person believes forever is until their own demise."

"Riddle upon riddle and no answer in sight."

Eric smiled weakly and said, "The Universe is a riddle, a big elaborate riddle."

"I wonder what it would be like to know the secrets of the Universe."

He squeezed her tightly to himself and she wrapped her arms around his own on her stomach. "The secrets of the Universe are questions without answers. Something had to have created the Universe, yet we understand so little about Earth that trying to unravel the mysterious of even our own solar system is daunting."

"I know, but sometimes I just wish I knew something that no one else in the world knew. Something like creation of the Universe would be a grand piece of information to withhold."

Eric chuckled and said, "It would likely drive you mad. Knowing of what created the Universe would raise so many other possible questions and is likely beyond our capacity to understand."

Jackie said, "The human race has always been rather adept at learning. In due time I think people would understand should they be given the information, but it would take hundreds of years to even scratch the surface."

He simply replied with a throaty 'mmhmm' and continued to look at the lake.

"What time is it?"

"Already anxious to get back?" he asked with a laugh. When she elbowed him the ribs softly, he said, "I don't know, I've garnered the habit of not wearing my watch."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. First it was because my wrist got too big and I needed a new one. I eventually just got used to it."

"Then how do you know what time it is?"

Eric squinted and looked to the sun. "I will never know the exact time, but by calculating the position of the sun in relation to the seasons will give you a rough estimate."

Jackie glanced to the cloudy sky. The sun would peak through the large white clouds every couple seconds. "What time is it then?"

"Close to one in the afternoon I'm thinking."

"Are you sure?" she asked with a soft chuckle.

"I think so. Since we're in Wisconsin we're almost on a straight line up to the North Pole. If we were in New York, the North Pole would be located to the North West rather than what we call due north. When the sun is directly south and above us, it often tells us that it's noon or later, all depending of the seasons of course. When the moon is out at the same time it is even more precise. I'm not an astronomer, so I don't know the exact science. I just learned a little bit about it from some of the locals in Africa."

"Did they use sundials?"

Eric shook his chin back and forth on her hair. "No, they didn't and I don't even think there was such a word in their language. Most of their descendants were great plain hunters who always used the sun as a beacon for time. There were no hours as such, only light and dark. Emphasis on time as we regulate it is simply foreign to them in some ways. They understand the twelve hour clock, but when it's light out it means work is to be done. Sometimes simplicity as such can make things much more peaceful."

"It sounds uncivilized. I doubt I could live there."

"It's civilized in places, but some of the schools I taught at were on the very edge of civilization. Some were only accessible by foot and there were dangers, but the locals' respected teachers. I don't know the extent of their legends; for I find it hard for some of the people who live there to even grasp those simple ideas."

"I'm surprised how raw most of Africa seems like."

Eric nodded his chin on her hair softly. "In some respects it's as if I was looking into the past where innocence could still lie, but that innocence doesn't really exist. Life and death have barely a meaning to the people who barely have anything to eat. Death is a fact that everyone there treats as simply the way of life. If a man reaches fifty, he's considered old. That's how it is in those small villages in the middle of nowhere, you grow up and you die. They've never been taught anything else."

Jackie stared onto the water and said, "I'm guessing money means little in these villages?"

"You're right to a point. Money is scarce and even nonexistent in some places, but currency isn't simply coin and paper. Just like in the time of Mesopotamia, cattle can be traded for land, pottery traded for bread, but it's not quite that archaic."

"If it's such a desolate place, why does the government not help these poor people? I may have been rich and ignorant at one point, but I know poverty is not something that can simply be ignored."

Eric said, "Then you're already smarter than most political leaders in those hostile countries in Africa. They ignore the poverty and death because they don't want to be concerned with it. That's why it's America and the other great powers in the world that end up doing everything, such a drilling wells and inoculating the young against disease. The governments in many countries simply don't care."

"I guess the phrase 'ignorant is bliss' takes on a whole new meaning."

"That is does, and it's a situation almost too far gone to correct. As long as the rich and powerful get what they want, the poverty stricken have no knowledge that things could be better. It sounds atrocious, but that's how it's always been and their own government plays on their ignorance."

Jackie watched a Blue Herring landed on the pier. "What do you suggest should be done to correct the problem?"

Eric sighed heavily and said, "I don't think there really is a solution. That's what's most frustrating, and because it's so hard to come up with a plan that could work, people don't try."

"I understand, but say, theoretically, you were to decide what to do to fix Africa's poverty, what would you do?"

He thought about it for a second, and then tapped his two thumbs together. "I think I'd begin by educating even the most poverty stricken and malnourished that you don't have to live your life that way. We should teach them that there is more out there and they should demand some help from their government. Democracy really is the beginning."

Jackie said, "Communism fell across eastern Europe because the people revolted against it."

"That's right, and it's when the people come together under one cause that democracy is born and things begin to be set in motion. The only problem is that that same thing can destroy even the most democratic nation. Politics is a messy game and in Africa it's even messier. Even the most noble of causes undertaken by the majority of the populous could be the wrong thing in the end. The problem lies in the fact that people live in the now and don't pay attention to the future."

"And you do?" she asked softly, turning her head farther into his chest for comfort. She could hear his heart beating through his shirt.

"I try my best make decisions that make the least trouble in the future, but sometimes in life hard and potentially disastrous decisions have to be made. Mistakes happen and we have to learn from them."

Jackie patted his hands and closed her eyes for a second. "You're beginning to sound a lot like your father."

"So you've said almost a hundred times, and for the hundredth time I say that I'm not concerned about it. In fact, I envy Red in the way he lets things slide off his back without a second thought."

"Well, he'd see all those people in Africa without food and proper drinking water and say they are just lazy."

Eric laughed and said, "Maybe, especially if he wasn't reprised of the whole situation. In America every man and woman has an opportunity to make themselves something of a life, but in Africa there is no opportunity. It comes back politics again, and to tell you the truth it gives me a headache."

"Have you ever thought about going back and trying to make a difference?"

"No, and I wouldn't do so in a million years."

Jackie looked up at him, just barely able to see his nose. "But I thought you hated the way the people lived and couldn't stand it."

"True, but in some ways my father's conservative ways have rubbed off on me. I feel it is upon the people's own government to help them. I know that gets a lot of people angry, especially when they can simply argue that the governments simply won't do anything, period. But I believe all it would take is a little pressure from larger countries to get things rolling. All the funding and money the richer countries funnel into Africa and third world countries could better be used to establish stability. It's when cash gets tossed around and abused is when nothing gets done.

There's no end to it. These countries want money to feed their starving people, but there is no reassurance the money is being used for that. These places are remote and their governments corrupt. You wouldn't trust your money with a hobo on a sidewalk, would you? No, you'd take it to a reputable bank."

Jackie listened to him intently. She had been brought up much the same way when it came to finances. She had all the money in the world when she was younger, but her father's conservative financial decisions where what allowed her to get want she wanted. She had been naïve enough to believe that money just existed, but as she became older she had begun to respect the way her father used their money.

Sure, he was corrupt and had gone to jail for it, but he wasn't stupid. She admired him for that at least, and now shared in his idea that you don't need something unless you absolutely need it. In her teen years it had all been about want, but now she was much more economical and conservative about her finances. "It must be hard to think like when you've seen such awful things."

Eric nodded. "That's why sometimes it's just easier to ignore it all, but if I do that I feel bad. It's a slippery balance and I'm on the fence on a number of issues pertaining to it. I doubt I'll ever make up my mind. Is morality more important than common sense?"

"Only if you're not afraid to make a fool of yourself."

"True, but acting foolhardy can get you into a ton of trouble and then you'll never accomplish the goal you set out to achieve."

"Life's hard," she said suddenly.

He smiled and kissed her hair, just barely touching his lips to her scalp as her thick hair kept them back. "Yes, life is hard and most times difficult, but that's okay."

"Living a hard life seems somewhat unbearable."

"To some people it is, and they run from it. Others turn to the salvation of religion, believing that all their toil and pain will be rewarded in the afterlife."

"What do you think?" she asked, "What makes the rigors of life bearable and worth experiencing to you?"

Eric said, "I believe in good. I believe that no matter how hard things may get, there's always something or someone that can make you happy, even if it's for only seconds at a time. The world is often a negative place, but finding that happiness for only a few minutes can make it that much more bearable. It's simply the law of nature. Evil only exists because good exists. Every state of being has and opposite, especially when it comes to human emotion."

"It seems so simple, yet it's confusing beyond words."

"That's life," he replied squeezing her tightly. "How about we leave these questions alone and just enjoy the view? How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a wonderful idea," she said with a smile, allowing herself to melt into his body even more.

Eric continued to watch the water break upon the shore. The waves were almost nonexistent, but in the high afternoon sun they were visible. The air was crisp for May, but not cold enough that it was uncomfortable. It was usually the end of May and the beginning of June when the summer heat would begin to show its presence, but it felt as if spring had lingered a little longer than usual. The water levels were high, which would be a relief for the farmers should the summer be dryer than normal. The snow pack he had found out was relatively high, and mixed with the spring rains it made for soggy conditions. That would all be corrected with a weeklong heat wave though. And Wisconsin, Point Place in particular, received their fair share of scorching heat.

Situated below Lake Superior and just west of Michigan, the weather was dramatic at times. The snow in the winter pushed off from Western Canada and often times brought significant wind chill readings. Yet, in winter it wasn't unheard of for the temperature to go above freezing as warm air masses from the Gulf would push their way up the Midwest and blanket them in warmth. The warm air masses tended to stay more towards Michigan and Ontario, but they did on more than one occasion get the outskirts of them. The random weather made it hard for those susceptible to colds or lung conditions, but in the summer there likely wasn't a better place to live in the country. The humidity tended to stay at a minimum since they were on the west side of the great lakes, but the odd low front from the west coast sweeping across the country would make things sticky for a few days.

Eric loved it all though, despite what weather his home state might endure. Wisconsin seemed like the perfect place to raise a family of his own, a place where crime was low, population was acceptable, and the people were friendly. He had sometimes dreamed of moving to a remote location in the United States so that his kids could be ignorant of some of the things he had done as a teenager, but he realized that he could only protect his children so long. He had seen his mother and father go through that problem with him, and he resigned to going through it himself, just with a little better understanding.

"We should have brought our bathing suits," Jackie said suddenly.

"The water is still freezing cold. It's a deep lake so it likely won't be bearable until mid to late June."

"Do have any idea how the lake came to be? Asteroid or something?"

"No clue, but the depth could have something to do with an asteroid. It's hard to say, the land has been here far longer than we have."

"We really are infants on this world," Jackie said. "The earth is billions of years old and we've only been here for less than two million. The difference between those two numbers is quite staggering."

Eric nodded, tapping her head with his chin a couple times. "It's very interesting to me to. It makes me wonder how long we are for this world and when will another ice age or astronomical event wipe out all existence. Nature can't be stopped."

"We will adapt though, that's the basic principle upon which we survive."

Eric said, "Sounds like someone was paying attention in history class."

"I liked history," Jackie replied. "I know I spent all my time talking about hair products and things that drove Donna and everyone else insane, but I did have other interests I kept to myself."

"Like everyone else, we only speak publicly about what we think others want to hear."

Jackie sighed against his chest and closed her eyes again. "That's what I always did, and now I'm surprised people even listened to what I had to say. I have such a greater understanding of what a deep conversation is."

Eric laughed. "Enlightened in youth, a very rare thing."

"I'm no youth, I'm an adult."

"Sorry," he said as he moved his fingers apart and held onto her hands. "I'm just saying that since you're only a quarter way through your life, you are very intelligent."

"You're rubbing off on me."

"Maybe so, but intelligence isn't simply given to you by another. You develop it as you grow up. There is a reason why no one calls anyone our age wise. Wisdom is for those who have experienced life."

Jackie looked out at the lake again as the Herring jumped from the pier and took off over the lake, barely ten feet above the water. It suddenly veered right and disappeared over the trees and into the surrounding forest. "I thought more people would be here on a Sunday."

Eric nodded and said, "Me too, but I guess the water is much too cold even for the bravest of swimmers." Jackie suddenly pulled out of his embrace and stood up. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"To see how cold the water is."

He sighed heavily and got up from his position against the tree. Following after her and emerging from the protection of the tree, the sun beat down onto his tanned skin. The sun was rather warm, but the air around him was still crisp. It made for one hell of an afternoon.

Jackie was still in her bare feet as she skirted the edge of the small waves as they reached shore. Her sandals were still by the picnic table by the cooler. Stepping forward cautiously, she dipped a toe into the water and instantly drew back with a sharp intake of breath. "That's freezing!"

Eric walked up to the water and squatted, sticking in his hand and allowing the water to cover it. He withdrew his hand suddenly and said, "You're right, it's cold, very cold."

"Way too cold to swim in."

He grinned suddenly and grabbed her by the shoulders. "We'll see what happens when I toss you in."

She didn't know if he was serious or not, but she played along. "Toss me into that water and I promise you that you will never see me naked, ever!" When he pouted, she smiled triumphantly.

Eric said, "Let's remember, I haven't had sex in over two years, I can go a lot longer if I need to." When her eyes narrowed, he smiled evilly. "And I know women enjoy it as much as we do. I'm not stupid."

Jackie scrutinized him for a second and then smiled wide. "I doubt anyone would call you stupid Eric."

He gently took her right hand in his left and walked her back to the picnic table. "My father called me stupid my whole life."

Knowing that he was just trying to get the last word in, her stubbornness came to the forefront. "I get the last word."

"Okay, but as long as I get to speak without you interrupting me. That's one thing I can't stand."

"I'm not that naïve little annoying girl anymore."

He kissed the back of her hand and said, "I know, but sometimes habits are hard to break. I developed a very bad habit in Africa of ignoring people, and I've caught myself doing it a few times already."

"Like in the Hub yesterday?" she asked.

"Yes, and at the dinner table too."

"I'll help you break it."

Smiling, he nodded. "I appreciate it."

"Besides," she said with a big grin, "I can't seem to stop hitting you. You're silly and smart at the same time and I don't know what to do with you."

"I'm an enigma," Eric said with a laugh, Jackie following in suit with an almost musical tone. It never ceased to amaze him how open her laughter sounded compared to what he used to hear from her not more than two years ago.

Jackie said, "I think the last thing in the world I need is a man who is an enigma. Steven was one, and Kelso was so far from it he was basically a simpleton. I need a man in the middle, one who understands the rigors of life and doesn't blame others for their shortcomings."

He squeezed her hand as they passed the picnic table and made their way out onto the small dock. "We all have shortcomings, and some are not our fault."

"I know that," she chided, still holding his hand firmly. "But what I mean is that when you make a mistake, take responsibly for it. So many people like to play the blame game, but often enough it's simply just their own fault."

Eric smiled and said, "Then we both think alike."

"Thankfully," she replied, standing on the end of the dock and turning to him. "Do you ever get the feeling that this," she waved her left hand outwards to the lake, "is what you want?"

"I don't understand your meaning," he replied with a frown.

"I'm saying peace and quiet, do you sometimes wish people would leave you alone."

Eric nodded. "I do, but I also understand that people close to you will be concerned should they see you changing."

Jackie said, "It's already started with Donna, and the more I change in public the more I'm going to be questioned. I hate answering the same question over and over again."

"I know, but you have to take it in stride. Do you think I like telling my travels in Africa to every person I meet? No, but I do it because it's the polite and right thing to do. People are just curious, and if you ignore them they get angry and upset."

Gently laying her head against his chest, she said, "I just wish we could be alone, together, forever."

"Forever?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

Jackie suddenly realized she had just let herself slip, and she quickly tried to back-peddle. "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant, I mean I-,"

He shut her up with a quick peck and said, "I know what you mean, and you don't need to apologize." She relaxed his arms and he held her tightly. "It's okay, you feel safe and loved at the moment, and that's the feeling everyone wants to have for the rest of their life."

"Then I'm allowed to say I love you?" she asked, looking up from his chest to stare into his vibrant eyes.

Remembering the conversation they had had earlier about the word love, he struggled with what to say. Finally he realized that he couldn't make her hold it back, if she loved him, she loved him. It was as simple as that. Maybe it was he who was making things so complicated in his own mind he wasn't allowing himself to reach that simple conclusion himself. "If you feel you love me, Jackie, then say it whenever you want to. I cannot squash those feelings no more than I can quell the butterflies in my own stomach."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Leaving the lake behind was almost depressing, their little time of solitude at an end as they traveled up the steep path and back to the vehicle. Eric held onto Jackie's hand as she followed behind, taking cautious steps in her sandals as he held the cooler in his right hand. Like descending, it was painstakingly slow, but not enough for him to get upset. Patience was a virtue he still garnered.

"I really should have worn better footwear," Jackie said.

"It's my fault actually. I should have considered your sandals when I picked where we would eat."

She shook her head as she sidestepped a large rock. "Don't go blaming yourself, this is my lack of foresight."

Eric said, "Let's just say this is both our fault and leave it at that?"

"Okay, but I want thirty-three-point-three percent of the blame."

"That would leave me with sixty-six-point-six of the rest of it. That doesn't seem fair at all." He finally crested the top of the path and helped her up the rest of the way.

"I know," Jackie replied as she straightened out her dress. "I said you were evil, didn't I?"

Eric laughed sarcastically at her little elaborate ruse. "Triple sixes are the sign of the devil."

"The ultimate evil no less."

"You're one funny lass," he said with a grunt as they entered the forest and the small path to the parking area.

"Lass? I don't think I've ever been called lass."

"Do you like it?" he asked as they quickly emerged back to where the car was.

Jackie went to the passenger door while Eric went around the vehicle. "I don't know, maybe, maybe not."

"That's not really an answer, Jackie."

"Give me time to look it up in the dictionary first, and then I'll get back to you."

Eric laughed and got in the vehicle, tossing the cooler into the back seat. "How about we forgo those cute pet names everyone seems to call each other."

"I'd be more than glad to do without them. Although, I've never been called pumpkin before."

"Pumpkin," Eric said passively.

"What?"

He started the engine and said, "There, I just called you pumpkin so now no more names have to be exchanged."

She rolled her eyes as the vehicle moved in reverse. "I didn't say you had to call me pumpkin, I was just saying."

"I might be a man, but I'm not stupid enough to believe you don't like being called cute names."

Staring at him with a crooked look, she said, "Sometimes I think you understand women more than anyone else."

"I don't understand women, I understand lies, and what you said a few seconds ago was a blatant lie. You want me to call you all those names, and you're going to try and manipulate me into doing it."

Jackie quickly shut her gaping mouth and steeled herself. He really couldn't be that intuitive, could he? "Okay, you've caught me, but are you really not going to call me those cute names? I like them."

"Not in public, maybe in private."

"Men and their vanity," she said in partial disgust.

"I'd rather not look silly."

She shook her head with a sad smile and said, "You're one of those men who hates public affection aren't you?"

Eric shook his head. "No, I'm not afraid of public affection, but what I'm afraid of is sounding like a lovesick teenager."

"It'll be fun," Jackie pestered him with a sweet voice.

He chuckled at her attempts to get him to relent, but he simply continued to shake his head. "You can do whatever you want to try and convince me to do it, but I'm pretty stubborn."

"So you've said before," she said with a sigh. "Oh well, I can call you all those pet names in public and we'll just see what happens."

Eric caught onto her little scheme in a second. "Blackmail doesn't work."

"How could you-I," she shut up and grumbled in dissatisfaction. "I'm going to best you one of these days."

"So this is all one big elaborate game to appease yourself? I don't mind being used as a sexual ruse or play toy, but as long as no one else knows about it."

Jackie shook her head in amazement at how even his voice sounded, even though she knew for a fact he was simply playing her little game. "Don't you like games?"

"That depends on the type of game you're playing. I enjoy board games, but when it comes to trifling in human emotion and dignity, I tend to stay clear. You might not believe me, but there are women out there who are incredibly manipulative."

"And you think I'm one of them?" she asked, looking over at him with her eyes narrowed.

Eric grinned sheepishly and said, "I think you are, but I can handle it."

"You can handle me?" When he nodded yet again, she swatted his thigh rather hard. As he winced, she said, "I am not to be handled!"

"Fondled then?"

She stared at the mirth in his eyes and couldn't help but snicker. Not knowing how he always found a way to make her laugh, she rubbed his thigh where she had hit him. "I'm sorry I hit you."

"I think I deserved it," he replied. "Besides, physical conduct is always erotic, even if it is a little painful."

"I will not be your dominatrix, Eric Forman!"

He looked over to her and grinned again. "I never said you had to be, nor do I require one. I'm just teasing you."

"And I'm only teasing you," she replied.

Eric laughed sharply and took the turn back onto the pavement. "As long as we don't get carried away with the teasing, we'll be fine. There is a line you can cross."

"Like when you pulled down Donna's pants."

"Hey, that was a mistake and I've apologized to her over and over again. Like I said before, I learn from my mistakes and I will promise you I won't pull down your pants." When she looked at him with a slight pout, he added, "In public of course. In private all bets are off."

"Bad expression, but I understand," she replied.

"Good, now where to ma'am?"

She ignored his pompous formality and grinned. "I suggest we go to your house and see if Steven has returned. If not, we might need to pick him up."

Eric nodded and pressed onto the pedal a little harder, picking up enough speed to just hover above the speed limit. "I figure he's found his way back, and if not, Sam will have likely gone to get him."

Jackie crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap. "How is it that your parents allow Steven and Sam to live with them? I thought you father would have been very hard on them both."

"Red has little decision when it comes to those two. My mom is very protective of Hyde and she couldn't let Red kick them out when I wasn't home."

"You know, if you or Laurie ever have children, your mother is going to spoil them so rotten they won't have any teeth by the time they're ten."

"Well, just look at the way she treats Betsy, and we're not even related to Kelso or Brooke."

Scratching her calf, Jackie said, "Brooke is a very good mother, she won't let Kitty spoil her too much. Besides, they don't come back to Point Place a lot."

"That's too bad; it'd be nice to see more of them. Betsy really hasn't seen that much of me and I doubt she can remember her infancy when she gets older."

"You like children a lot, don't you?"

Eric nodded and said, "Children are pure, untainted by their surroundings and innocent beyond belief. They have so much potential and all they really need is someone to help them achieve it."

"You sound like a teacher a hundred times over," Jackie said.

"I know, but I know I don't have the capacity to cultivate those kids into intelligent adolescents. My target is the teens in their early years of high school. That's where I can best teach, but I do understand that starting out in the teaching profession that you need to take anything you can get to start off."

"So you would take a job teaching grade one if you had to."

"If I had to, yes, but I'd rather not. I am a realist though and I do understand that I might need to. I'm still young, with only a few years experience under my belt."

Jackie shuffled her legs and repositioned her left over her right. "I've been meaning to ask you, how did this course you take work? Aren't you supposed to have taken classes and learned what to teach, and then pass a test to certify you as an educator?"

"That's the way it's done in America. The course I took is more of an apprenticeship of sorts, except they toss you in head first to fend for yourself. The director of the program, which is sponsored by the government, told me that I would either succeed or drop out in the first few months. Since I lasted two years, I passed. There was no test to take at the end, only multiple text books I had to read during my teaching. That was the content in which I had to teach the children. The great thing was that I paid very good attention in school and knew most of it already. I was simply learning how to teach, the knowledge was already there."

"So you can teach anywhere below grade twelve, in any state?"

"Yep, and I can teach in a number of different countries too. My teaching license is international, but I would likely need to take an examination to teach in the more established and wealthy nations."

"It sounds as if you have a job for life."

Eric nodded and said, "I do, but it also depends on how far, or how willing I am to travel for work."

"Being the stubborn son of the most stubborn man alive means that you'll tough it out until you get a job in Point Place." When he grinned, she said, "Even if it is teaching snot nosed little toddlers who eat glue."

"Don't remind me," he said with a laugh. "I don't know quite how to handle children, but I would tough it out as long as I knew there was opportunity for advancement in the future."

"I think you'd be great with children."

"Really?"

Jackie reached over and squeezed his right hand with her left and said, "Of course. You have the patience and the personality that children love. Kids want to be listened to, and you've always been a good listener. I think the reason why you're so apprehensive about teaching children is the fact that you don't know how. The way your father raised you as a child wasn't exactly the best way, and you're afraid you'll treat all your students like that."

"Perceptive, are you?" he said with a grin. When she smiled back warmly, he squeezed her hand and said, "I guess you're right, but I'm still allowed to worry."

"Of course you are, but you also have to have confidence in yourself."

"I have confidence in myself, but it's not projected in the right direction. Teaching the younger grades would be a challenge and would make my hair turn grey at thirty, but I have the confidence that I could survive it."

"Survive?" Jackie asked with wide eyes, "you're supposed to enjoy it."

Eric laughed nervously. "I doubt I'd enjoy it."

"You never know, things might change if you ever have kids of your own someday. Remember how your father used to say how much easier you were to control when you were younger? Your students are like that too."

"Actually, it's harder to teach young kids because you're not their parent and they think they can take liberties. With teens it's actually easier because they are old enough to understand that if they keep their mouth shut in class and learn, it ends quicker. Of course, not everyone is perfect and there are always problems. They are, after all, just kids, and even the ones in their senior year of high school can be a handful."

Jackie shrugged and said, "Whether either one of your theories are right is for speculative guessing, but I have confidence you'll succeed at anything you do."

"As I have confidence you'll be news anchor in no time."

She laughed and said, "I don't know if I aspire to be an anchor. I like the weather."

Eric could see the houses of Point Place as they made their way closer to his place. "Do you want to be a meteorologist, or a weather girl?"

Jackie shrugged and said, "I figure I better have the qualifications to be a good weather girl. I sort of resent that fact that I got the job for being pretty."

"Ooh," Eric cooed loudly, "Resentment is a great driving force, almost as good as anger."

"You think I should do it?" she asked softly.

"I don't know, that's for you to decide. I first suggest you finish what you've started before you put too much on your plate."

Jackie knew he was talking about the changes she was undergoing, and she nodded. "I agree."

"Who knows, in a year's time you might be working somewhere else and doing something completely different? It's about what makes you happy, and you might find work that would make you happier than being a weather girl or meteorologist."

"Fantastic," she replied with a role of her eyes, "I don't even know what I'm supposed to do for the rest of my life and already I'm speculating on whether or not I enjoy my work now."

"Well, you have never really thought that much about it have you? You were just content to be on television like you always wanted, right?"

She nodded. "I was content to be on TV. It was one of those naïve and petty dreams I had always harbored."

Eric sighed and said, "I won't tell you what to think or do, but I don't think doing nothing for a year like I did is the best way to find what you're meant to do. I simply wasted time."

"Oh, I won't quit working at the station, but I'll keep myself open to the possibility that I might want to do something else. Like you said, I'm just beginning to discover who I really am, and in a year I could be doing something completely different for a living." As the car ambled towards the familiar streets of his neighborhood, she sighed.

"Something wrong?" he asked gently as he rubbed the palm of her hand with his thumb.

"Not really, I just feel as if things are so uncertain."

He smiled pathetically and said, "Just remember, I'm here for you whenever you feel like things are overbearing."

"Thank you," she said softly and leaned over, kissing his cheek. "You really are a great man Eric."

"I try my best," he replied.

"I don't think you try, I think it's just who you are. I wouldn't expect anything less of you, even though I would never pressure you."

Eric smiled over to her and kissed the back of her hand. "Don't worry, as long as I'm around things will be okay, I'll make sure they are. It's not that I don't think you could take care of yourself, because I know you could, but we need each other right now."

"I'll always need you Eric," she said as she pushed herself across the seat and leaned her head on his shoulder.

He sighed softly so she couldn't hear him. He didn't harbor false illusions of them being together forever, but her closeness allowed the possibility to creep into his mind. He had learned long ago that getting ahead of himself in a relationship wasn't a good thing, but Jackie wasn't Donna. Being the person he was, he did have those occult thoughts of what it would be like to be married to Jackie, to have children with her, but those were more distant thoughts. In the past, he had often wondered what it would be like to marry Donna and have children with her, and in the end those thoughts had led to the demise of their relationship. In all, he was afraid of being alone and just wanted what everyone else had.

He was the complete opposite of Kelso too. Women to him weren't sex objects, they were much more and he couldn't help himself from having those thoughts about Jackie. It was simply in his nature to do so.

As her breathing slowed a little he lifted his arm, wrapping it around her shoulders gently. He said, "I think I need you too, Jackie."

She smiled to herself and closed her eyes. It was obvious to her that he wasn't the type to commit himself before he was sure of anything, so his words carried a lot of weight to them. Maybe he did love her, but was afraid to say so. He was Red Forman's son after all, and Kitty sure seemed confident that she and Eric had started something long lasting and special. Still leaning up against his warm body she silently prayed to whatever god was looking down upon them that she was right. It may have only been a few days, but she had never felt a deep passion or love like this before. It was sprouted from truth, and that was something that meant a lot to her.

With her head in the crook of his arm and his left hand on the top of the steering wheel, Eric guided the car onto his block. He was glad that Jackie hadn't interrupted the sudden silence that had enveloped the car, and he somehow knew she knew the right moment to stay quiet. He had been skeptical about it earlier when she had interrupted the silence at the lake, but he knew she understood. Turning into the driveway, he gently lifted his arm off her and she moved back to the window. It hurt slightly every time she would have to put distance between them because they wanted to keep their relationship a secret, but he continued to remind himself they were doing it for the right reasons.

Jackie stepped out of the car at the same time Eric did, and said, "I think I'm going to go find your mom."

"Okay," he replied as he watched her disappear into the house through the sliding door. He shrugged off her awkward tone and went to the rear of the house, dropping his feet on the stone steps as he went to the basement. He opened the door, stepping into the cool basement. The light was on, Donna and Randy both sitting on the couch watching television.

"Feeling any better?" Eric asked Randy as he sat down on the chair left of the couch.

"Much better once I got some coffee into me."

Donna said, "That and vomiting a ton."

Eric laughed and nodded his head. "Fez was the same way, but he went back to bed."

"Did Jackie stay there?" Donna asked.

"No, she's here somewhere."

"What do you mean by somewhere?"

Eric shrugged and said, "I don't keep tabs on her, she said something about needing to see my mom and I came down here."

"Well, I'm worried about her."

He smiled. "Donna, we've already talked about this."

"I know, but I'm still allowed to worry. She's my only girlfriend."

"Worry about what?" Randy asked the two of them.

"Oh," Eric said passively, "Donna is concerned that Jackie might be in some trouble since she's convinced her friend has changed."

Donna interrupted, "Not only has she changed, she's acting civilized."

Randy looked at his girlfriend with squinted eyes and said, "So, you should be ecstatic."

"Well, I would be, but this is so sudden it's hard not to notice." She frowned and looked at Eric, "Haven't you noticed it?"

"Of course," he answered, "but I think it's for the better."

"I'm not arguing that, I'm just wondering what happened to her that she changed so suddenly."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Randy said. "She's probably just maturing. Being a year younger it sometimes takes a little longer than the rest of you."

Donna didn't pick up on her boyfriend's mirthful tone as she was too enamored in thought. She was biting her fingernails and squinting hard in concentration. "Something happened, I know it did, and I mean to find out what."

Eric said, "Donna, you know enough that Jackie would tell you if anything happened. She rarely shuts her mouth."

"I know, but the problem is that that's changed too. No, something happened and I'm going to have to pry it out of her."

Randy put his hand on her back and said, "If she doesn't want to talk about it, you should just be her friend and accept that. The last thing she'd want is for you to be prodding like a worm picker."

She sighed heavily and nodded. "I know, but this bothers me. It's Jackie, she's supposed to be obnoxious and loud, but she's so somber and quiet. It's incredibly unsettling."

Eric put his right ankle on his left knee and said, "Unsettling or not, it doesn't mean there's anything wrong."

"Why do you keep saying there's nothing wrong?" When he didn't relent, instead his eyes hardening and his jaw clenching slightly, she calmed down. "I'm sorry I yelled, but how do you know there's nothing wrong?" His gaze made her skin crawl.

He continued to stare at her, not bothering to answer her until she was calm. As Donna took a few deep breaths, he finally said, "I don't know, in the past when Jackie was going through some heavy issues, like when her father was sent to jail, she became very distant and upset at people trying to console her. I'm just suggesting you do it privately."

"You still didn't tell me how you know she's okay."

"I said I don't know," he replied, "you'll have to politely ask her yourself."

"I will," Donna replied smoothly as she stood up and went for the stairs.

"Wait, where are you off to?" Randy asked.

"To find the little brunette and force her to confess!" She said loudly as she stalked up the rest of the stairs.

"Should we do something?" Randy asked Eric.

Shaking his head, Eric said, "Nope, this is between them. It's been eating Donna for a day now."

Randy nodded and pinched his forehead. "Well, all that loud talking sure made my head hurt."

Jackie was talking to Kitty when Donna suddenly came into view. "Hey, Donna."

"Can we speak outside for a moment?"

She looked to Mrs. Forman, who gave her a bewildered stare. Shrugging, she said, "Sure," and followed Donna out the sliding door and into the driveway. Closing the door behind her, she went to walk forward, but a giant redhead blocked her way. "Whoa, what's wrong?" she asked as she slipped past her larger friend and into the middle of the driveway.

Donna spun on her feet and said, "I'm asking you the same thing, what's wrong?"

"What?"

"Don't play coy with me, Jackie, something happened and you're not telling me. Not only is that unlike you, but the fact that you seem relaxed is even more frightening. Please, just tell me what the hell happened so I can help you."

Jackie smiled slightly and said, "Nothing happened, Donna. I don't know what you're talking about."

Almost screaming, Donna said, "Jackie, something happened, and as your best friend I want to help you. Please, just please tell me. I know you don't like to let everyone else in, but it's me." Jackie simply ignored her and went to walk by, but she grabbed the younger girl's right forearm and said. "Jackie!"

Not sure if she could keep her composure, Jackie tried to wrench her arm from her friends grasp but failed. "Let me go you Amazon," she said.

Donna didn't let go, but instead held onto her arm tighter. "Please Jackie, I just want to help."

Jackie relented and stopped fighting. "I don't need any help, nothing's wrong."

"No, something is wrong. You've been acting different these last couple days, and I don't mean just a little angrier or obnoxious, but drastically different."

"People change," Jackie said suddenly.

"You don't!"

Donna let go of her arm when it seemed as if she trusted her not to run. Jackie knew her friend only meant well, and she loved her for the fact that she cared so much about her, but letting Donna in on her and Eric's relationship would be far worse than making her angry. "Yes, even I change."

Grunting in frustration, Donna crossed her arms and stared at the smaller woman. Jackie looked right back at her, challenging her to see who would break first. When the brunette simply stared and didn't relent, a shadow of doubt crossed her mind and she almost gave in, but looked to Jackie's neck as the younger girl massaged is softly. Looking closer, she could see cover on it and reached out. Before her friend had a chance to react, she removed the makeup, and in a voice that could only be described a shrill, said, "Jackie, that's a hickey! Where the hell did you get a hickey?"


	24. Chapter 24

**Any remarks expressed by either character about politics or idealism are not meant to be offensive, only used as a vehicle to further explore the depth of character. **

* * *

Chapter 24

Jackie didn't slip, but perfectly played the role of innocent as she fingered the spot on her neck that Donna had touched. "What hickey?"

"You can't deny it; you even put makeup on it."

She stared at her tall friend incredulously. "Are you losing it Donna?"

"Are you seeing someone?" Donna shot back quickly. When Jackie's eyes faltered for the slightest of milliseconds, she said, "Ha! You are aren't you?" The anger and tension of the moment suddenly disappeared and she laughed. "So, who is it Jackie?"

Regaining her composure, knowing she had slipped, Jackie put her nose in the air and turned towards the house. "No one that concerns you!"

"Come on Jackie, tell me. I'm dying over here."

Crossing her arms, she turned to Donna and shook her head. "I'm not telling you anything."

"Come on, I know you want to," Donna teased. She knew her friend would relent eventually.

"No, Donna, it's none of your business."

"Hey, when Randy and I started dating you made it your business, and now you won't let me meddle in your affairs. How hypocritical of you!" She grinned mischievously and crossed her arms again, much in the same pose of her friend.

"I'd sort of like to keep this to myself," Jackie said softly.

Donna suddenly lost her grin and took a step closer. "It's not Fez, is it?"

Jackie shook her head quickly. "No, it's not Fez, and please stop."

"Hyde, Kelso?"

Pouting, trying to convince Donna to give up, Jackie waited with agony at the next name. If her tall friend said Eric, she knew she couldn't hide the guilt."

"If not them, who?"

She let out an inward sigh and took a deep breath. Donna didn't even find her and Eric even within the remote possibilities. That was good, but also meant if she heard the truth she would be devastated and crushed. "I'm sorry Donna, I can't tell you."

Seeing that she wasn't going to get anywhere with a name, she asked another question. "What's he like, is he hot."

Jackie grinned slyly at what her friend was doing. She knew this little game all to well, and for the sake of their friendship she would indulge in it a little. "I think he is."

"Well then, he must be hot since your standards are so high." When Jackie's eyes narrowed, she thought the brunette might say something, but when she stayed quiet Donna said, "Okay, so we know he's hot. What else, lets see…" She sat down on one of the two chairs by the sliding door and tapped her chin. "Oh, is he dumb?"

"No," Jackie said quickly as she took a seat next to Donna.

"Okay, if he's not dumb, that rules out a lot of people that I know. Now, how about tall, is he tall?"

Jackie rolled her eyes and said, "He's average, if not a little above."

Donna grinned wide and said, "Have you two, you know?"

"No, and I'll ask you to stop right there if you know what's good for you."

"Are you threatening me, over a man? Are you in love with him or something?" She laughed, but when Jackie didn't join in, instead sat looking away from her sheepishly, Donna's eyes went wide. "You're not serious? Please tell me you're not serious."

"I don't know what else to tell you," Jackie replied with a small smile.

"Now you have to tell me who he is!"

"No, now I'm especially not going to tell you."

"Come on," Donna pleaded, leaning over and grabbing her friend's arm with both of her hands. "I'm dying here."

"No! If I tell you who it is then you're going to ask a million more questions I don't want to answer, and then you'll want to meet him."

"I already want to meet him," Donna interrupted.

"And that's my point. If I let you meet him then he'll meet the rest of the gang and he'll be frightened off."

"We're not that critical."

"No, but you tend to judge and ask a lot of questions."

"We're just curious Jackie."

"And you're also a bunch of jokesters. Plus, if I let you meet him you'd certainly have a lot to say and I don't want any of you meddling in my personal affairs."

Donna looked at Jackie for a moment, trying to read the woman's face to see some sort of slip up like earlier, but none emerged. "What's so different about this man that has you unwilling to tell me the name? Is he married, oh, is he older than you, much older?"

Jackie glared over at Donna and said, "I said drop it."

"You know I'm not going to drop it until you tell me."

Smiling at her friend's persistence, admiring at how much Donna cared, Jackie did the best she could to stay quiet, and did, but not without looking guilty as hell.

"There's something forbidden about this relationship, isn't there?" Donna smiled even wider when her friend said nothing and look away to avoid her gaze. "I haven't seen you like this since you were dating Hyde. You're sure it's not Hyde, right?"

Jackie shot a glare over and quickly said, heatedly, "He's married Donna, I'm not helping some man commit adultery. You know how I feel about cheating."

"Okay, sorry I asked. And I'm sorry about that, I know you would never knowingly do something like that."

"Thank you," Jackie said.

"Okay, if it's not that, it's something else. I already asked about the age difference." She paused momentarily before bursting out suddenly, "Is it a woman?"

"Donna!" Jackie said with wide eyes, her anger rising. "How could you?"

Snickering like a fool, Donna said, "I'm sorry, you said it was a guy earlier, but I had to be sure."

Jackie glared at her and shook her fist. "I swear, if you ever say anything like that again I'll pop that pretty little red head off your shoulders."

Jackie's threat was halfhearted at best, and Donna could easily pick up on the mirth that was hidden in her eyes. "Empty threats," she said with a laugh. "Though, you have to admit it was rather funny." When Jackie didn't relent into laughter, Donna stopped and stared at her. "My god Jackie, you're in love."

"I know," she replied with a sheepish smile.

"How long have you been dating him?"

"Not long."

"What? A few months?"

Jackie said nothing, leaving it at that. Too many questions would lead to easy answers, and she wasn't prepared to deal with the aftermath of allowing Donna to get the name of who she was in love with.

"Jackie!"

"I'm not answering you."

"By denying to answer me you're really actually incriminating yourself."

"How so?" Jackie dared.

"By refusing to tell me how long you've been dating you've pretty much allowed me to determine that you haven't been together for long, maybe only a month or two, and you think that I'll be skeptical that you could love someone in that time." When Jackie said nothing, she continued. "Also, having been there through your break ups, I think it scares you to think that you could love someone in such a short amount of time."

"You really do know me better than you should," Jackie said.

"That's what best friends are for. Now, why can't you tell me his name? Is it that important you need to keep us in anonymity?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I'll relent and not ask you anymore, but there is just one thing I want to know."

"What?" Jackie asked cautiously, slowly lifting her gaze back up to Donna.

"Do I know him?"

Jackie panicked suddenly, her hands beginning to shake in her lap as she tried her best to hide them. Taking a deep and steadying breath, her hands calming down, she said, "Yes," and sighed heavily. Donna suddenly smiled.

"Okay, that makes it easier, and possibly much simpler to narrow down, but I know a lot of people."

She took another relaxing breath, knowing that Donna was still ignorant to the idea of the man being Eric. She truly wondered whether he and she were more absurd in their friend's eyes than her and Steven. With Steven that forbiddance was an erotic turn on, but with Eric it worried her. She didn't really care if people thought it was wrong, especially since she wasn't that naïve girl anymore, but it still had her concerned. Could Eric handle the skepticism and questions from the rest of his friends?

"Well, let's start down the list."

"No, I'm not going to sit here while you do that. You know full well I might slip up if you mention his name."

Donna watched as Jackie got up and disappeared behind the house and towards the steps to the basement. "Spoil sport!" she hollered with a laugh, but her features turned to a mask of seriousness as she ran over all the people she knew. It was a heck of a conundrum, who was Jackie in love with? And who could sweep her off her feet in so little time? Sighing in frustration she continued to sit in the chair running over every name and person she knew.

Jackie slipped down the stairs and into the basement, only to find Eric alone on the couch with the television on. "Where'd Randy go?"

Eric turned his head to her and said, "He went up to find Donna. What happened? I'm sure she found you."

Sighing, she plopped herself on the other side of the couch and said, "She was pretty determined to talk to me."

Looking over his shoulder, Eric softly said, "Keep it down a little. Hyde is asleep and we don't want to wake him up with anything that might incriminate us."

"I really don't like that this has become something forbidden."

He could see the frustration in her eyes and put his hand on her knee. "I know, but we have to put up with it for now. How about you explain the rest of what happened up there?"

"Well, Donna pulled me outside and asked me straight up what was wrong. Of course, I denied anything and then she saw the hickey."

"She saw the hickey? I thought you covered it up?"

"I did, but I was nervous and I lead her on by accident. I removed some of the makeup and she forcefully removed the rest." When Eric cringed, she reassured him. "She hit me with some hard questions and some angry stares, but I didn't give her much."

"How much does she know?"

Jackie looked to her hands with a small smile and said, "She knows that I'm in love with this guy and that we haven't been together very long."

Eric sighed and leaned his head back. "I should be concerned since Donna is really smart, but she is so smart she'll be ignorant of the truth. Her past relationship with me really clouds that answer. She doesn't want to believe it, nor will she even consider it."

"So I guess I was lucky."

He shook his head and squeezed her knee again. "You weren't lucky, you were very smart. You knew this too and used it, didn't you?"

Looking at his wry grin, she smiled and nodded. "I knew, and she took the bait without even a second thought."

"And she'll never figure it out unless she lets herself believe in the impossible. Donna likes well rounded answers and she'll run over every person she knows and will leave me out because of the odds."

"Predictable, isn't she?"

Eric said, "Well, let's not get too ahead of ourselves. She is smart and she has Randy on her side."

"What about Randy?" Jackie asked with a frown.

"He doesn't know how our relationship was between us before I left, so he's the most likely of everyone to figure it out. He has fresh eyes and hasn't been influenced by the past."

"We'll just have to be extra careful."

Eric looked side to side and leaned over, almost touching her nose with his. "Extra careful is more exciting."

"It sounds as if you get a thrill from the thought of getting caught?"

"How could I not when I know there is a beautiful woman just inches from me and I know I shouldn't do anything. It's harder than you can imagine, and I have to fight my urges every minute. That culminates into some pretty exciting moments where my heart beats rapidly. When you smile, you make my back go stiff, and when you're looking at me I swear I'll say something that will reveal us."

"And here I thought I was the one who was having trouble with keeping this a secret." Jackie leaned over and kissed him. A second later they were both positioned back on opposite sides of the couch as they heard a pair of footsteps coming down the outside steps. The door opened and Randy came through the door and looked at them. "What did you do to Donna, she seems catatonic."

Jackie said, "I gave her some information that she's still trying to digest and comprehend."

"What kind of information?"

"The kind that stays between best friends."

Randy nodded his head and went back up the stairs after closing the door.

"He's a sharp one," Eric said.

"How do you know?"

"The way he looked between the two of us after you said it was between you and Donna. He instantly picked up on the fact that I knew the information his girlfriend does."

"How in the world could he know that?" she asked.

"Easily, I said he was sharp."

"Why is it everyone can't be like Kelso?" Jackie let out with a sigh.

Eric said, "Then we'd have to have padding on all sharp corners and we'd still be figuring out how to make fire." When Jackie laughed slightly, he said, "Keep it down, Hyde is still sleeping and within earshot."

"Sorry," she apologized. "Where's Sam?"

"I don't know, maybe in the shower or something." He got up off the couch and went to the freezer, opening it and finding a familiar sight. His mother had still continued to purchase popsicles. "Want one?" he asked.

"Please."

He removed two and closed the lid, finding his spot again on the couch and handing her the second popsicle. Taking the wrapping off his own, he was satisfied by the grape color that was suddenly presented to him. He quickly stuck it in his mouth and took a sloppy slurp, savoring the taste. As Jackie was still removing her orange popsicle from her wrapping, he said, "I haven't had a popsicle in so long."

"Do they still taste the same as you remember them?"

"Thankfully they do." She smiled at him and finally removed her wrapping and tossed it onto the small table in front of them. Her eyes were still on him, a dangerous glint in them. When she slowly slipped the popsicle into her mouth and closed her eyes, he fidgeted in his position on the couch. He couldn't take his eyes off her though, and a second later she began to move the popsicle in and out slowly, savoring the taste and torturing his libido.

She popped the frozen treat out loudly and moaned just a little, causing his groin to stir and his face to go red as she looked at him seductively. He had thought he was a pretty hard person and could control himself, but her little display of eroticism, albeit with only a popsicle, was enough to convince him otherwise.

What she did next almost caused him to groan in sexual agony.

Jackie enjoyed toying with him like this, knowing full well she had him wrapped around her finger for the moment. She always liked being the dominant one in any relationship, but she knew with Eric it wouldn't always be like that, so she would get her kicks in now. As his eyes were still transfixed on her mouth and the popsicle, she slowly inserted it halfway. He looked to be in agony as she held it there for a second, opening her mouth and sucking on it every couple of seconds. She looked at him seductively and then put the rest of the popsicle in her mouth, closing her lips around the stick that protruded from the end. It caused the desired effect, and Eric's eyes went so big she thought they might pop out of his skull. Slowly she parted her lips and slid the popsicle out in one smooth motion.

"Your popsicle is running onto your hand," she said, looking down at his hand.

Eric popped out of his trance and looked to his hand, his face going beat red as he wiped away the sugary liquid. "I uh, I, sorry about that."

"About what?" she asked innocently, her face the same reverence of her voice as she sucked the end of her popsicle.

Clearing his throat nervously, her sexy gaze still on him, he managed to clean himself up with a Kleenex from the box on the table.

"Don't have anything to say?" she asked, still speaking to him as if she was innocent of doing anything.

"I don't know what to say," Eric replied. He went quiet and looked back to the TV nervously, not sure if he could really control himself if he looked at her again.

"What's wrong?" Jackie asked seductively as she trailed a finger back and forth on his thigh. He fidgeted under her touch, but didn't move away. "Am I making you that uncomfortable?"

Eric didn't lie and said, "A little bit. We are in the basement and you just did something with a popsicle that I haven't seen anyone do, ever. Now you're touching me and staring at me with those penetrating eyes."

Jackie removed her finger from his thigh and laughed. "I guess Eric Forman is still a little boy trapped in a man's body."

He slowly turned his head to her and fixed her with a hard gaze. Her grin quickly disappeared, and then he suddenly flashed his own toothy grin. "Remember, Ms, Burkhart, you want to start toying with me, I can give back just as well."

"Oh really?" she asked as if not believing him. He didn't respond, instead fixing her with the stare again, a glare that seemed to focus into her soul and make her skin crawl. She did her best not to look away, and did so while her stomach tightened and goosebumps popped up onto her forearms. His stare was so cold it sent a shiver up her spine, her teeth chattering for a second as she did her best not to relent. A few moments later she gave in and said, "You're making me incredibly uncomfortable." What she didn't tell him was that she had felt her core shiver too, almost causing her to orgasm on the couch.

"Touché," he responded with an even voice. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Jackie; don't ever think you've won."

"If you ever make that look during sex, I'll turn over and ignore you."

Eric studied her gaze and could see a hint of betrayal in her eyes, but decided not to explore it. "First we would need to be having sex."

She forced an awkward laugh as she had other reasons for making sure he never looked at her like that during sex. If he did, she would more than likely be spent before he even touched her. "Men, all they want is sex."

"I'm not apologizing for my brethren," Eric said as he looked back to the TV.

"Well, someone has to," she said with a curt laugh.

"Then I trust you'll find that person, for it won't be me. I'd be ostracized by my fellow men and stoned to death."

"They wouldn't kill you," she said sarcastically.

"No, I guess it would only take my father or Hyde." When she laughed at that, he smiled and said, "Besides, if I apologized I will incur the wrath of not only mankind, but I will be the poster child of Feminism."

"Feminism," Jackie echoed and shivered.

"What, you're not a feminist?" he asked with a wry grin.

"No, and thank god. I believe in equality and so on, but those women scare the hell out of me. Some of them are really butch."

Eric was near the end of his popsicle and almost choked on a piece. "When did you start labeling people without knowing them?"

"When you've gone to a few feminist rallies with Donna, you see what kind of people they are."

He laughed and said, "You're right, I've followed her to a few and she's often the tamest of them there. Plus, picketing for equality during the week is very short sighted and hypocritical. If they really want to be equal, go get a job during the week like everyone else. Picketing only shows you're more willing to yell obscenities than to put that energy to try and prove your point. You can yell and scream all you want, but being ignorant to the hypocrisy you're creating is stupid. Especially when these women call themselves fundamentalists fighting for liberation, yet we are the most democratic country in the world, save maybe Canada."

Jackie shrugged and said, "It's in people's nature to complain. They're never happy and will find anything to nitpick at. At this moment it's feminism, next it will be oil and gas, then the environment."

"And all in spite of the scientific facts that are as clear as day," Eric added. "People want to ignore the truth so they can feel as if they are a part of something important."

"Are you saying Donna is ignorant?" Jackie asked.

"In some ways yes, but she's always been a liberal. Liberalists are ignorant of a lot of things, same as a conservative is. We see each other's faults but don't recognize our own. It makes for intriguing politics, but doesn't really allow things to move smoothly."

"Then what are a conservative's faults?"

Eric nodded and said, "We're ignorant of our ignorance."

"Well put," she replied with a chuckle. "Wait, what do you mean by we?"

"Well, you're a conservative, aren't you?"

"I don't know, I've never voted."

"You don't have to have voted to be conservative. It's where your beliefs lie that determines whether you're one or not."

Jackie said, "In that case then, I'm a conservative."

"That makes two of us then." He paused for a second then said, "Damn our fathers, huh?"

She laughed at his witticism and slapped his knee affectionately. "Blame them all you want, but you allowed yourself to get corrupted by them."

"Why is it everyone thinks that because someone is a conservative that they've been corrupted? I simply don't get it, it's about choices, personal choices people make on what they believe in. Conservatives have made some of the most democratic reform in history, but we're seen as evil by the Liberalists. Then we call them hippies and the cycle is unending."

"Politics is simply painful."

"You said it," he replied with a grin, sticking the popsicle stick into his mouth and biting on it softly.

Jackie scratched her nose. "How did we go from talking about sex and end up talking about politics?"

"I don't know," he answered with a helpless smile. "Would you rather we talk about sex?"

She thought about it for a second, but slapped herself mentally. "Well, no I wouldn't, well not at this moment."

Eric grinned and rubbed her knee. "No one is ever one hundred percent comfortable talking about sex."

"Especially us since we haven't done it yet. We seem to be creating something that both of us might not be able to live up to."

He nodded and said, "Then how about we stop talking about it until it's been done once or twice."

"Done," Jackie quickly responded.

A sudden silence set upon them as each put their eyes back to the television. Eric glanced over at her for a second, looking at her face and then down to her smooth legs.

Jackie caught his glance, and when he looked away she stole one of her own, her eyes lingering on his and then going to his strong hands. Swallowing hard, she allowed the uncomfortable silence swallow her up.

Eric didn't know what to say, but finally said, "Do you want another popsicle?"

"Yes!" Jackie said loudly. "Please," she added softly a second later. "Yes, please."

He nodded and went to the freezer again.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The rest of the afternoon went by without so much as a question raised from anyone, their lackadaisical attitude towards one another allowing their secret to be cast into oblivion, away from prying eyes and sharp ears. It wasn't until just before supper when Hyde had inquired why Jackie was eating with them did they need to think quickly on their feet. Thankfully, Kitty had come to their rescue, spouting off a tiny lie that seemed to satisfy both Hyde and Sam.

From that point on there was little conversation, only a grunt of satisfaction at the food they were each shoveling into their mouths. The table was full, Kitty and Red on the ends, Hyde and Sam on one side and Eric and Jackie on the other. Any other time it would have seemed odd, but for the briefest of moments Eric could feel a sense of joy coming from his mother and the brunette beside him. From that moment on his only concern was food, and his mother had baked enough to feed a platoon.

It was close to eight, the sun having just set, the pink hue in the western sky just bright enough to keep the city lights at bay. Eric sat upon the hood of the Vista Cruiser, basketball in hand, periodically dropping to the ground and letting it bounce back to his hands as he was lost in thought. He had never really noticed that the house had such a wonderful view of the sunset, despite the other houses that distorted the view.

Dropping the ball to the pavement again, his fingers stretching open to receive it, he kept his eyes off to the distance. Supper had been nerve-racking for a while, but once everyone had begun to eat, things had settled down and he had found himself enjoying dinner. His mother had saved him and Jackie once, but he could have sworn the amount of times she looked at the two of them and smiled would have easily given them away. Hyde and Sam hadn't seemed to notice though, each having been thoroughly enamored with the plate of hot food in front of them.

Half way through dinner he and Jackie had hit their hands together accidentally, and Eric couldn't help but feel the slight shock he had received. Whether it was that spark that he had heard so much about, or simply a static shock because he had been in socks, he didn't care, for she had gently gripped his hand a second later. It hadn't lasted very long, for they each had to use both their hands in unison to cut and eat. It may have only been a second, but it was one they had stolen in front of everyone, without them noticing.

"Whatchya doing?" Jackie asked as she surprised him from behind. She had been in the living room watching television, but when Sam had left to go downstairs to watch TV with Steven, she had decided to find Eric. When Eric turned his head to her, his concentration broken, the ball he had been bouncing hit the bumper and rolled down the driveway, settling into a low spot by the curb. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he replied, both his feet on the bumper as he sat on the car with his forearms resting on his thighs. "Where are Hyde and Sam?"

"Downstairs watching TV." She gently pushed herself up onto the hood and let her feet dangle over the grill and just below the bumper. Making sure that her dress wouldn't get dirty, she leaned onto her back and stared at the evening sky.

Eric quickly followed suit, pushing himself back farther and resting his back against the hood and the front window. Jackie quickly noticed the location discrepancy between them and evened it by pushing back farther and sitting up on hood with her back also on the window. "Do you know this was where I had my first kiss?" he asked, patting the side panel on the passenger door with his right hand.

"Really?"

"Yep, it was just after we had all gotten back from the concert. Everyone had gone home and it was just Donna and I. We were lying back on the window just like you are, and when she left, she kissed me."

"You sound surprised?"

"I still am to this day. I wasn't prepared for it at all, so I felt guilty about letting her kiss me while I couldn't even respond in my state of shock."

Jackie smiled and stifled a chuckle. "What was it like?"

"Do you really want to know what my first kiss was like?"

"Of course, you tell me, and I'll tell you what mine was like."

Eric cringed slightly and said, "Do I really want to hear about your first kiss?"

She shrugged and said, "We both know the relationships we've had in the past, and we know the people we've each dated rather well. I don't think there will be any awkwardness."

"Okay then, it felt great, but I was a little too stunned to comprehend it, though I did spend the next few days replaying it over and over again in my mind."

Jackie looked to the sky again and said, "My first time was with Michael, but I was so young I can scarcely remember it. I think I was fifteen at the time, and he kissed me suddenly, out of nowhere. I ended up reciprocating it, but it felt strange."

"Strange?"

"Yeah, I don't know how else to put it. Michael said it was good, but I was skeptical. I didn't know how a first kiss was supposed to feel."

"That's the great thing about your first kiss, it's always memorable, and its then you find out what kissing is actually like."

Smiling, Jackie said, "Well, I wasn't too pleased, so I suggested we try it some more, and one thing led to another and we came dangerously close to sleeping together that night."

Eric chuckled softly.

"What are you laughing at mister?"

Turning his eyes to her, his head rolling over on the window, he said, "Kelso still brags that he slept with you on the first date. We never believed it, and I guess I just find it a little ironic that you almost did."

"Call it what you want, irony or whatever, I got pretty scared and didn't kiss him for a week after. I was only fifteen and sex still scared me a little."

"I still have trouble wrapping head around the fact that you lost your virginity at fifteen."

"Pretty young, isn't it?"

Eric nodded and looked back to the quickly darkening sky. "I was almost eighteen when I lost mine, and even though I wanted it more than anything in the world, I was still skittish when it came down to it."

"I'm guessing most people are a little scared the first time, save Michael of course."

He laughed and said, "Kelso treats sex like a sporting event, it has no emotional meaning to him."

Jackie smiled at that, entwining her fingers in her lap and closing her eyes. The cool night air was incredibly refreshing, and although she should likely be wearing a coat to stay warm, she allowed the brisk breeze ruffle a few strands of hair that lay on her forehead and over her eyes. "We agreed to not talk about sex, yet it's what we always end up doing. Maybe we should just do it and get it over with?"

"That's up to you Jackie, but I just hope you base your decision on how you feel inside rather than out of frustration. Last thing I want is for you to regret our first time together."

"There will be many times after that first time, but I understand what you mean. And yes, I want it to be something spontaneous, or simply special in some kind of way. I don't want to do it because we should feel we have to."

Eric said, "You know, this would be much easier if we didn't know each other beforehand. Because we've been around each other for almost four years, not minus the two I was gone, we have an awkward situation. If we were two strangers who had met, then things would be easier as we could take our time."

Jackie nodded and laughed a little. "I know and sometimes all these other factors that go into it make it even more difficult for me. If I sleep with you, Fez and Randy would be the only ones I haven't been with."

"Donna too," he added.

She glared at him and his smile disappeared, but the corners of his lips were twitching as he fought it back. "I was talking about the guys."

"I know," he replied with a grin. When she smiled back, he looked to the sky yet again, the first star shining through the dark blue sky. "Make a wish, the first star is out."

Jackie looked to the sky with him and saw it. "Do I have keep it to myself to make it come true?" When he nodded, she closed her eyes.

Eric watched as her eyes fluttered back open and he said, "I hope you wished for something good."

"Oh, I did," she replied.

"Do you want a ride home?" he asked suddenly.

She raised her eyebrows dangerously. "Are you that anxious to get rid of me?"

He grunted and slipped off the side of the hood, standing and stretching a little as he yawned. "If it were up to me, I'd make sure you spent the night here, but you know how it is."

"I do," she replied reluctantly and removed herself from on top of the hood. "Can we take the long way though?"

"What long way?"

"I don't know, any long way."

Eric smiled and walked around the vehicle, Jackie doing the same, except she had gone around the back instead of the front. "However you want to get there is fine by me. I always enjoy a Sunday evening drive."

Jackie opened the door and got inside, Eric starting the vehicle as she closed the door and straightened out her dress. As soon as they were out on the road, she closed the distance between them and sidled up to his shoulder and leaned her head against it.

He shifted his arm to the right and her head fell into the crook of his arm as he placed his hand just below her right ribcage. "You know, we will see each other tomorrow."

"I know, I just want to be close to you."

"Then we think alike," he replied, resting his cheek on the top of her head while driving.

And so for most of the ride they sat like that, his head eventually rising up straight to keep a better eye on the road, but her head stayed upon his arm and chest. They said very little, each content in the silence. Jackie didn't enjoy extended lengths of silence, but deep down she knew that talking would only interrupt the special feeling that was rising in her gut.

They reached her apartment in almost an hour, the blue from the sky now completely gone as the black night was now lit up with a near full moon and millions of stars. Exiting their position on the front seat proved both difficult and disheartening for both of them, but it had to be done, and soon they were standing just outside her apartment door.

Jackie stopped at the door and turned to Eric, who was standing straight with his hands in his pockets. She gently removed his right hand from his pants with her left, entwining her fingers in his and looking up at him. "I had a wonderful day," she said as she felt him come closer to her.

"Me too," he replied as the distance between their faces began to decrease. When their lips finally met, he moaned ever so slightly and closed his eyes.

She lost herself for the briefest of moments, but later composed herself and pulled her lips apart from his, her forehead resting on the end of his nose. "You're coming by tomorrow?" she asked softly.

"I'll pick you up from work." He gently kissed her forehead and put his fingers on her cheek.

"Why?"

Eric said, "I need to take you to the hardware store to see what kind of paint you want for your room."

"You're going to do that tomorrow?"

"Well, I have a few other things I need to do first, but I should have most of the day off. Remember, I'm a teacher and I have the summer off."

Jackie smiled and leaned up, kissing his softly on the lips again. "I keep forgetting."

"That's because you're always too busy looking at my lips," he whispered into her mouth.

"I can't help that they're so luscious and sexy."

"Luscious is not really a word a man likes to hear when any part of his anatomy is being described."

She laughed slightly and said, "You're just a prude, now get out of here." She playfully swatted his chest and reached for the door, but he quickly grabbed her and kissed her again. It left her in a daze momentarily.

Eric pulled back and said, "Bye." She smiled, reciprocated a goodbye and went into her apartment. Watching her disappear through the door caused his heart to sink a little. Her mere presence made him feel better and kept the horrible things he had seen in Africa from surfacing randomly. Now that she was gone, those memories suddenly came rushing forward and his shoulders sunk. He turned around and walked back to the elevator, trying desperately to remember how wonderful the first weekend home had been, but those particular memories were eating him up. Feeling horrible, he entered the elevator and the doors closed, his eyes doing the same as he let out a deep sigh.

He stirred in his bed, his eyes open and staring into the blackness that was his bedroom ceiling. It was midnight and he couldn't sleep, his dreams much too frightening to endure. Usually he fell asleep when he was tired, but because of the jet lag he still wasn't completely adjusted yet, and wasn't exactly tired. Plus, trying to sleep when he knew what awaited him was too difficult. The bed sheets were all over the place, the comforter on the floor as he had tossed and turned multiple times. It was incredibly frustrating not being able to sleep. He felt as if he had restless leg syndrome, except it was his mind running a mile a minute in fear.

After a few more minutes of tossing and turning, he threw the thin blanket off violently and jumped out of bed. He felt like hitting something, venting his frustration with physical power and unbridled rage, but he took a deep breath instead. Through the window he could see that the moonlight had disappeared and clouds had once again moved in.

Eric, knowing that he couldn't sleep, slipped on his jeans and t-shirt and exited his room quietly. Feeling his way through the dark hallway and down the stairs, he found his shoes and coat in the den. He put both on and slipped out the front door, locking it with a key he kept in his right jean pocket. Turning around on the porch, he stepped off the stone step and down the walkway and to the sidewalk. He zipped up his coat as a slight drizzle began to fall from the heavens, causing his misery to increase twofold.

Shoving his hands in his coat pockets he walked down the sidewalk to nowhere in particular. In the house he would make too much noise, and usually a walk would clear his mind enough to lessen the anger. He made a mental note to find a gym in the next couple days so that he could vent his anger somewhere.

Tucking his chin into the neck of his raincoat, the rain began to come down even harder as he got farther and farther away from home. The street lamps lit his way, but they didn't do much to curb the pain that was eating his soul.

His anger rising, he stalked down the sidewalk with a purposeless stride and kicked every stone that he could find. He passed one house where a dog barked and a light suddenly came on, but he ignored it and continued walking, his hair completely soaked as he hugged his arms closer to himself. The night was chilly, the rain only increasing the cold settling into his bones as he continued to walk.

It was a Sunday night; actually, early Monday morning, and no car passed by for more than fifteen minutes. When one finally did, the rain now falling in droves, it splashed him with water. It didn't matter though; his clothes were already soaked through, the rain falling off his nose steadily.

Onward he walked, no destination in mind as he stared blankly at the sidewalk before him. The couple stoplights he passed simply flashed yellow over and over again. They were visible even when he walked by them, their light cascading the sidewalk and road in front of him.

One foot in front of the other, that was all he was thinking as the rain continued to fall steadily, splashing onto his head and dribbling down his neck and into his coat. His spring coat kept the water out well enough, but the liquid falling from his head soaked his shirt anyways. He shivered suddenly as his right foot went ahead of his left. Passing across a crosswalk that flashed stop, without even realizing he had done so, he slunk his head farther down into his coat so that his nose was just above the zipper.

For almost an hour he trudged in one direction, not really cognoscente of the fact that it would be another hour to walk back home. So, without a real care he continued to walk the same way, his anger having subsided, but instead being replaced with a crushing sadness that weighed down on him like an anvil. The sound of rain hitting pavement beat relentlessly into his ears like a bee buzzing around a flower, and he found himself drifting off the sidewalk and into the street as he momentarily lost consciousness from the combination of the cold and rain.

The honking of a horn caused him to stumble and fall to his knees. He barely moved out of the way of a passing car and laid on his back in the middle of the street. Opening his eyes, barely able to fight through the unrelenting rain, he could see the translucent light from the streetlamps out his peripheral vision. The combination of the cold and the rain caused his vision to spin suddenly, images from Africa rushing into his conscious and causing him to turn over onto his side and vomit. His body racked back and forth as he tossed his supper, which hadn't fully digested. Again he vomited, until he was reduced to dry heaves, his body exhausted and his mouth dry. Falling from his hands and knees, his cheek hit the pavement and he lay motionless in the middle of the street, his mind slipping into unconsciousness with his mouth filling up with water.

The instant his mouth filled up with water, he swallowed, simply a reactionary response, and snapped back into consciousness. He turned his head and coughed violently, the water that had gotten caught between his esophagus and lungs putting pressure on his throat and chest. After more than a few throat searing coughs and enough shaking to make him look like a dog trying to dry itself off, he got to his hands and knees again.

To any passerby he would have looked much like a newborn fawn trying to walk for the first time. As he tried to get up, his suddenly exhausted legs gave out from under him and he fell face first onto the pavement, his chin scraping violently against the road. Groaning in pain, he shivered uncontrollably and found the strength to crawl towards the sidewalk. It seemed like an eternity, but he got there, his knees now exposed as the rough road tore his jeans.

He took a deep shivering breath against the curb, his vision picking up on the blood traveling along with the water towards the catch basin at the end of the street. Moaning in exhaustion, having never felt this demoralized, he sat up on the sidewalk with his back slumped and his feet in the street. The rain didn't stop, and continued to torment him as he sat there breathing heavily, trying desperately to hold onto whatever sanity he had left.

Unconsciousness seemed like only a second away, but he managed to open his eyes again to get a look at his surroundings. It took him a few seconds, but he soon realized that he didn't recognize where he was. Turning his head to right, he noticed a bright sign not more than a block away. With the rain in his eyes, his vision had become blurry, but the white illuminated sign seemed vaguely familiar.

Still shivering, he managed to get to his feet with the help of a street lamp. He wobbled for a few seconds until his heart beat faster and the blood began to pump quicker through his body. Feeling as if he might be able to walk under his own power again, he took a weary step, his hand still on the lamp pole just in case he needed it. When he didn't fall, he smiled through his misery and took another step towards the bright sign.

Between street lights he stumbled, his legs barely holding him upright as he fought his way closer to the sign that filled his blurred vision. Finally reaching the last light before the sign, he leaned on it heavily and spit water out of his mouth. He touched his chin and withdrew his fingers, only to find a smattering of blood that the rain quickly washed away. It stung a little, but the cold rain numbed it a second later.

In another ditch attempt to walk, he stumbled towards the sign and slipped on the grass, his legs spreading out awkwardly as he hit the wet ground in a heap. He groaned in pain as his ass hurt like a son of a bitch, but he managed to crawl to the sign and pulled himself back onto his feet. Bent over with water dripping of his nose steadily, he took a few deep breaths and looked up. The sign was the one he had hoped to god he was heading to, for his consciousness wasn't exactly there. Letting go of the sign, he walked slowly and uncoordinatedly to the front door. He opened it in one hard pull, almost slipping as he used too much force. Luckily his grip on the door kept him upright and he entered the lobby and went for the elevator, dripping wet and shivering like a newborn kitten.

Jackie jerked awake suddenly as a soft rap on their hallway door echoed throughout the apartment. She slept with her bedroom door open about a foot so that she could get a little light in her room. Thinking it might just be a mistake, she put a hand to her heart and tried to calm down, but when another knock sounded, she opened her eyes. A little scared, she slipped out of bed in her night shawl and walked into the kitchen.

Fez came wandering out of his room too, turning on the kitchen light and squinting. "You expecting anyone, Jackie?" he asked. When she rubbed her eyes and shook her head, he grabbed a beer bottle from counter for protection and went to the door.

When Fez peered into the peephole and pulled back suddenly, turning his eyes to her, she said, "What?"

"It's Eric."

"What?" she asked in surprise. "Well, let him in." Fez opened the door and she walked around the kitchen counter. Standing in the doorway was Eric, his hand gripping tightly to the door jam and his shoulders slumped heavily. He was drenched, water falling from every part of his body as blood dripped from his chin. "Eric?" she asked, frightened at seeing him in such a miserable state. He was shaking relentlessly.

"Jackie," he gurgled numbly, suddenly falling to his knees and onto the floor. "Ja-," he said, but was cut off as he fell into unconsciousness. A comforting warmth passed over him the last few seconds before his mind slipped away.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Jackie dropped to his side in a frantic manner, her knees slamming onto the carpet as her heart beat a mile a minute in fear. "Eric?" she asked with a shaky voice, but he didn't respond and she began to panic as she had no idea what to do. "He's not dead is he?" She looked up to Fez.

Kneeling down, Fez put his ear to Eric's chest and said, "No, he's not dead."

"He's freezing," she said as she put a hand on his cheek. "He looks dead."

"His skin is just blue from the cold."

"Well help me get him into the bathroom then!"

Fez simply nodded and together they carried Eric's limp body into the bathroom, tossing him into the large tub. "I've never seen anyone go unconscious with their eyes open."

Jackie ignored his comment as she turned on the water, making sure it was hot coming out. "Do you think he'll be okay?" she asked as Fez placed the plug into the drain and she kneeled at the side of the tub.

"I think so, Jackie, he's just cold."

"Maybe we should call for an ambulance?"

"If he doesn't wake up soon we will. I've seen people get like this. They just need to get warm."

"But he's unconscious," she said quickly.

"That's just one of the side affects of the body's temperature dropping rapidly. Don't worry, he'll wake up soon." It wasn't two seconds after he said it that Eric moaned and closed his eyes.

"He's awake," Jackie whispered and crawled into the tub with him, not a single worry about Fez being there or the fact she was in a flimsy night shawl.

Fez watched as Jackie climbed in to the lay beside Eric, her face mere inches from his friends as the water soaked through her sleepwear. What she just did raised so many questions, but he held them back as he could see Eric shiver uncontrollably.

Jackie turned her head up to Fez and said, "Turn on the shower head and close the curtain, that way the heat will stay in here.

"Are you sure? I have a few-,"

"Questions, yes I know! I will explain all this later, but please, just do as I ask."

He relented to her wishes and said, "Okay, I'll be in the living room if you need anything." Quickly pulling out the knob for the shower, the water instantly showering down onto Eric and Jackie, he closed the curtain. Heading out of the bathroom, he closed the door behind him, a million things running through his mind.

Jackie felt her heart being crushed as she held Eric in her arms, his shaking body and cold arms causing her own to goose-bump. "Eric?" she asked softly as the water from the shower mixed with a few tears.

"C-c-c-old," he stuttered through a shiver as he was in too much agony to open his eyes.

She quickly struggled to remove his cold shirt, but she eventually got it off and tossed it out of the tub. The steam began to rise from the water in the tub as she rubbed his chest to try to get the warmth back into his body. Her night shawl had completely soaked through, easily exposing her breasts, but she didn't care. Eric was in pain.

The water began to fill steadily around him and the pain lessened, but it was still too much for him to open his eyes. There was a hand on his chest, rubbing him and increasing the warmth in his body, but he still shook like the Vista Cruiser with a bad tie rod. He finally managed to open his eyes, but his vision was blurred. Two deep set brown eyes looked down to his, and in his delirious state he said, "Risna, is that you?"

She had never heard that name before and she panicked. "Eric, what's wrong, please tell me what I can do."

"Am I dead, Risna?" he asked as his world spun and he almost slipped back into unconsciousness. The person above was crying, he could hear her, and he said, "I'm sorry, Risna, I couldn't cope with the pain either. It consumed me like it did to you."

Jackie let out more than a few tears as she realized what he was saying. He thought he was talking to the little girl from the village who had killed herself after witnessing the atrocity Eric had found in his classroom. She put her hands to both sides of his cheeks and said, "Eric, it's me."

"Risna?" he wheezed in pain as he closed his eyes again.

"No, it's me, Jackie." She lifted her leg overtop of him and nearly straddled his abdomen as she silently prayed that he'd open his eyes. When he finally did, the cloudiness had disappeared and recognition crossed them. Managing a smile through the steam and water, she said, "It's just me, Eric."

"Jackie," he replied softly, his pain lessening suddenly as her presence and the warm water settled into his body. He was without a shirt, but his pants were still on and he took a long breath to steady his rapidly accelerated heart.

She gently fell back into the water on her side, allowing the warm liquid to sooth the goosebumps on her skin. He was okay, but she was still a little frightened.

Eric found the strength to turn over onto his side to stare into her eyes. "What happened?" he asked softly as his shivering began to decrease as the water from the shower head hit him full on.

Jackie reached with her foot and kicked in the knob, the water once again coming out the large faucet. There was in enough water to keep him warm and the water falling in their face had been mildly unpleasant. "I don't know what happened, you knocked on the door and then all of a sudden you fell to the floor unconscious." Tears welled up in her eyes as she hugged him to her. "I thought you were dead."

He let the emotion of the moment get to him as he too let out a few tears. The warmth of the water allowed some energy to sink back into him and he gently wrapped his left arm around her back as she cried against his cheek. "It's okay," he whispered soothingly.

"No it's not," she wheezed through a sob. "I thought you were dead, you have no idea how much that scared me."

Nodding, he hugged her even tighter and said, "I'm not dead though, I'm right here."

"I know," she replied with a half smile. Pushing back slightly, she wiped the combination of tears and water from her eyes and did the same to his for him. "What happened?" she asked softly, staring deep into his eyes. They were filled with pain.

"I couldn't sleep, so I went out for a walk."

"You walked all the way here, in the rain and cold?" When he nodded and closed his eyes again, she shook her head. "Do you have a death wish or something? It's cold out there."

Eric opened his eyes and looked into hers, the concern evident in them as he scanned them for anger. There was none, so he said, "I don't know what I was thinking. I couldn't go to sleep and I got really frustrated."

"You could have called," she said, wiping away another tear that fell from his eye. There was something else hurting him and he was reluctant to speak of it. Or so it seemed.

"I didn't mean to come here. I just simply went out for a walk to clear my head, but it started raining and then the next thing I knew I was stumbling into the street."

"That can't be all."

He smiled helplessly and said, "No, all the while I was having visions about those children that were murdered. I fell in the middle of the street unconscious from the cold and dizziness."

"You were lucky you weren't hit by a car."

"I almost was, but thankfully they honked their horn and I rolled out of the way."

"I don't know what I'd do if I lost you," she said suddenly, kissing him hard and letting out more tears.

Eric kissed her back, but didn't have the energy to keep it lingering much longer than a few seconds. He pulled back and said, "I vomited right after that."

Jackie pulled apart from him and licked her teeth. "I was wondering where that taste had come from." When he smiled, she knew he'd be okay. "How is it you got here then?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, pretty much everything after I threw up is a blur. I remember stumbling from light post to light post until I saw the sign for what I hoped was your apartment building." The water in the tub continued to rise and he kicked the faucet knob around with his shoe. It took a lot out of him, but he had gained back some strength. His foot splashed back into the water as he suddenly lost that strength.

"You're as weak as a kitten," she said. "Was the pain that intense?"

Eric nodded and said, "It was worse than anything I had ever experienced. But, the cold rain didn't make things any easier."

"I'm just glad you're okay." She gently placed a hand on his left cheek and smiled. "Next time you decide to take a walk, make sure it's not raining outside."

"I'll try my best."

"That's not good enough," she replied, gently kissing him again, allowing his now warm body to sooth her heart. "I want you to promise me that any time you can't sleep you will call me instead of doing something stupid."

"I promise." He grinned and looked down to her clothes. Her breasts were easily showing through the thin fabric, and even in his decrepit state his arousal began to rise. "Why are you in here with me?"

"I'm in here because I wanted to make sure you got warm."

"Then mission accomplished," he said, directing her eyes with his towards her clothing.

Jackie saw her breasts bouncing softly in the water and she said, "I guess I never gave it a second thought."

Eric chuckled and winced slightly, but opened his eyes and said, "Jackie?"

"Yes?"

"Don't let go of me."

She smiled sheepishly and put her nose against his. "I won't Eric, I promise you I won't let go."

"Good," he let out with a sigh. "I don't think I can sleep without you."

Her smile disappeared as she looked at his relieved expression. "The dreams are that bad?" she asked.

"They're worse now than they were in Africa. I don't know why, but I do know that the anticipation to sleep and knowing that those dreams are coming is almost as painful. You couldn't imagine what it's like to know that you'll see dead people every time you go to sleep."

Jackie watched as another few tears fell from his eyes. "I can't imagine what it feels like, but I'll be here whenever you need me."

"I hate to impose on you like this," he said. When she went to dismiss his comment, he said, "I know you have to work in the morning and I truly am sorry."

"It's okay," she replied, gently stroking his neck with the back of her hand.

"You're the only one who can make the nightmares go away," he said through tears and clenched eyes. "I just don't what else to do, I feel as if I'm dying, but it's slow and torturous."

"I won't let that happen." She drew his head into her bosom and whispered into his hair. His breathing caused her body to stiffen slightly as the hot air hit her breasts, but she fought past the erotic sensation and said, "I told you I would help you get through this, and I promise you I will be here every minute of the day if you need me."

Eric sobbed in her chest and let his emotions crumble before her. "I need you Jackie; I need you more than anyone in the world."

She smiled at that, tears streaming steadily down her cheeks and falling into the water below. When he pulled his head back up and stared at her with a warm expression, she frowned. "What?"

"I think I love you," he said through a tight smile.

"You think you love me? What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, her sarcasm clearly evident.

Eric shrugged in the water as he put his left hand to her hair and pushed the tangled wet mess behind her head. "I don't know, that's just how I feel."

"Thinking and knowing are two different things." She gently did the same to his hair and ran her fingers through it lovingly.

"Okay, I love you, is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Yes," she replied with a smug grin, then kissed him tenderly, her hand still on his head as they both lay on their side in the now temped water.

He pulled his lips from hers as he felt the heat in his pants begin to rise and his energy level increased twofold. Knowing that they were mere seconds from giving into the closeness they shared in the tub, he said, "I don't have the energy."

"Neither do I," she replied by resting her forehead on the end of his chin. "Neither do I."

"How about we get out of the water before we both start shivering this time?"

"No, I like it in here," she said as she closed her eyes. The water was cold, but his touch was warm and she didn't want to let go of him.

"The water will get cold in a few minutes, and even though I want nothing more than to see your nipples hard, I don't want to be cold again."

She smiled and chuckled. "Okay, I'll admit that I don't want to be cold either, but I'm too comfortable to move."

Eric took it upon himself and gently leaned on an elbow, his arm shaking at the attempt. He was still weak, but he had enough strength to sit up without needing to use the side of the tub for support. Jackie whimpered as he let go of her, but it wasn't enough for him to relent to her will. "I'm sorry, but we have to get out."

"Fine," she replied in frustration, throwing the curtain aside, but smiled a second later as she slipped over the edge of the tub and lay on the floor.

Eric leaned over the tub to stare at her, every part of her body visible as the water had soaked through her night shawl. She was incredibly beautiful while wet, her legs glistening from the light above them and her breasts perky and attentive. "It might be dirty down there," he said as she looked up at him.

Jackie shook her head and said, "I keep the floor in here pretty clean, besides, it's already wet."

He nodded and stood up in the tub. Water fell from his jean pockets as he bent over and removed the plug from the drain. The sound of watering disappearing from the tub filled his ears as he removed his shoes and emptied the water out of them. Once they were empty, he set them on the edge of the tub and stood there looking down at her. "Are you going to lie there naked all night?" he asked.

"Maybe," she replied with a grin. She could tell he was having trouble keeping his vision from her breasts, and she felt the heat in her body begin to rise. Deciding to play with him, she folded her arms under her breasts and said, "Are you tired of looking at me?"

He gulped and shook his head. "No, it's not that, I'm just getting a little cold standing here." The water in the tub gurgled loudly as the last of it went down the drain and left him standing in the tub with wet pants and shoes on.

"Fine," she said with a small giggle and got up. She slipped out of her shawl and grabbed a towel from the rack in the corner. The bathroom wasn't small by any measure, but with two people in it, it felt somewhat cramped. Draping the yellow towel around her body, finally covering up her exposed nakedness, she tossed him the white one that also hung on the rack.

"Thanks," he replied as he caught the towel and dried his hair.

Jackie said, "I'm going to go get dressed and then we can both explain to Fez what the hell just happened."

Eric cringed as he was halfway through removing a sock. He nodded a second later and removed it along with the other. "Okay, just give me a few moments would you?"

"Sure, just don't take too long."

He nodded and she went through the door. Sighing, he slipped out of his jeans and left his wet clothes in the tub, then stepped out and dried himself off. Not having any other clothes to change into he wrapped the towel around his waist and removed his wet clothes from the tub. He exited the bathroom to the sound of the television on. Fez looked to have dozed off as his head was hanging to the left in an awkward position. Eric put his clothes and shoes on top of the radiator emitting heat by the window. It was clearly evident that Fez was asleep, so he tiptoed to the kitchen and went to Jackie's bedroom door. He knocked on it and a second later she opened it. Her hair was still damp, but she was dressed in a pair of red and green flannel pajama pants with a tight red t-shirt over her shoulders.

"I need to dry my hair," she said.

"Well, Fez is dozing on the couch and I think we should tell him about all this now so that he can go back to bed."

"What time is it?" she asked. When he shrugged, she leaned back to get a view of her alarm clock. It was nearly two in the morning and she sighed. "Fine, but I need to dry my hair before I go back to bed."

He nodded his head quickly at her vanity, and said, "They'll be time for that. Besides, you won't need to shower before you go in for work." She simply glared at him like he was an idiot and walked by him. Following her out into the living room, he turned up the knob on the radiator so his boxers might be dry enough he could sleep in them.

Jackie stepped up to the couch and gently poked Fez's shoulder. Her roommate slowly opened his eyes and rubbed them.

"Is Eric okay?" he asked through a slight haze.

"I'm good," Eric replied as he sat down on the other end of the couch with his towel still wrapped firmly around his waist.

Looking over at his friend, Fez said, "You didn't look so good."

"And I didn't feel so good, but I'm fine now."

Fez watched as Eric's eyes traveled above his head. Turning around, he looked up and saw Jackie smile warmly. Frowning, he turned back to Eric and put his right arm on the back of the sofa. "What happened?"

Eric knew he couldn't exactly make up a half-assed lie, so he shrugged and said, "I went for a walk and didn't realize it was so cold out."

"And how did you get here?"

Jackie interrupted and sat on the coffee table. "By accident, but it's good that he did."

"Good?" Fez echoed in surprise. When they each stared at him hopefully, he said, "You guys lied the other day, didn't you? You said it was never going to happen again, but you lied." They each grinned sheepishly at him as he watched Jackie get up off the table and sit in Eric's lap, her hand affectionately going to his muscled chest.

"Yes, we lied," she said with a sorry look.

Fez couldn't help but note how comfortable they looked together and said, "So this is just more than a little mistake?"

Eric nodded. "It was no mere mistake; it was something that just sort of sprung up the day after I came back."

"Why?"

Looking to Jackie on his lap, Eric shrugged and said, "I don't know why exactly."

"Yes we do," Jackie interrupted with a poke to his chest. "We're not going to skirt around this, he deserves to know the truth."

"What truth?" Fez asked.

Jackie looked to her roommate and smiled. "That we love each other."

"Love?" Fez echoed in laughter. He continued to show his mirth, but when neither Jackie nor Eric seemed to join in, he cut himself off and stared at them intently. "You're not serious?" he asked in amazement.

"Deadly," Eric said.

"But how, you've only been back for three days!"

Eric looked to Jackie, who smiled at him warmly. "I don't know how love works, Fez, but this is something that just happened and I can't deny my true feelings."

"What about Donna? And Jackie, what about Hyde?"

They each turned to their foreign friend and said, "What about them?" in unison.

Fez almost hiccupped, but he pressed on. "I have a hard time believing any of this. Not only is it incredibly surprising, but it's not-." He stopped, trying to find the right word. "It's not possible!"

"Explain to me how it's not possible," Eric said, as Jackie leaned her wet head onto his right cheek.

"I-I-, well, I don't know," Fez replied.

Jackie laughed and said, "Just because you think it's not right, doesn't mean it's not possible. Eric and I have shared some things with one another in the last couple days that have made us a lot closer."

"But what could make you this close?" Fez asked with his fingers pointing to them and crisscrossing back and forth.

Eric kept his eyes on his friend and said, "That's between us, and even though you're a very close friend, that's private information."

Jackie could tell that Fez was slightly frustrated by Eric's answer, and she quickly said, "I know that's hard to swallow Fez, but just believe us that we would tell you if we could."

"You're not pregnant, are you?" Fez asked. When the two of them looked at each other and burst out into laughter, he glared at them and cleared his throat. "What?"

Letting his mirth subside, Eric said, "We've only been together for a few days, and there's no way she's pregnant. Even if we had had sex yet, we wouldn't know that for a couple weeks."

Fez nodded and smiled at his brash outburst. He laughed with them for a second. "I'm sorry, I'm just having trouble wrapping my head around the two of you being together, let alone being in love. It has only been a few days after all."

"We know," Jackie said, "but it's true and we can't really deny how we feel."

"Denial would certainly make things a lot easier though," Fez replied.

Eric said, "I know it would, Fez. Plus, you're the only one who knows about it."

"That's not true," Jackie said.

He looked at her with a frown. "What do you mean by that?"

"Your mother knows about us."

Eric nodded and said, "Yes, but she doesn't know that we're in love."

"I think she knows, you're mother is very perceptive." When he smiled slightly, she tickled his chest and said, "You don't have to worry about her though, I have her reassurance that she won't say anything."

Fez watched them intently, amazed at how cute they were together, how incredibly relaxed they seemed, and how much affection shone in their eyes for one other. They were love, it was as plain as day, but he still couldn't believe it. "Okay, I understand this, but I'm still having a hard time believing it."

"We're sorry to have sprung this on you while you're just back for a few days," Jackie said.

"No, that's fine, I'd rather know than be oblivious. It's just I'm worried about how the others might act should they find out. I know I promised to keep your kiss a secret, but this is going to be much harder."

Eric said, "As long as you can keep quiet until you leave, we'd be grateful."

"Yes, grateful," Jackie giggled softly as Eric squeezed her ribs softly with his right hand.

"I leave on Tuesday, so I think I might be able to keep my mouth shut until then, but it might be hard." It was true, he did have a problem with keeping secrets, but he knew that the two people sitting across from him trusted him completely, and that was something he took seriously. "Okay, I'll keep my mouth shut until I leave."

"We know it will be hard," Eric said, "but we trust you."

"That's reassuring," Fez replied nervously with a laugh.

Jackie said, "I know we're asking a lot of you Fez, but if we were absolutely certain the others could handle it we would tell them ourselves."

Fez nodded and adjusted his position on the couch. "I know exactly what you mean, and I don't think they could quite handle it. I'm having a hard time with it as it is, and letting everyone in on it would be a disaster in the making." When they each smiled in relief, he looked to Eric and said, "Does Jackie know why you've changed, is that why you're so close?"

"Incredibly perceptive, isn't he?" Jackie asked Eric as she stared at Fez.

Eric said, "Yes, and please don't talk as if he isn't here." She patted his cheek as if he was a child and he halfheartedly swatted her hand away. As she laughed, he answered Fez. "Yes, I told her what changed me."

"So it's more than simple maturity?" Fez asked.

"Yes, it goes much deeper than that. I'm sure in time I'll be able to share with you more, but for now just Jackie knows."

"Why Jackie?" Fez asked suddenly.

Jackie looked to Eric and said, "I'm not sure exactly why he told me, but I appreciate the fact that he trusts me enough with what he told me."

"Is it so personal that you really can't tell anyone else?"

She looked back to Fez and answered his question for Eric. "It is, Fez, it's very personal."

"Could you have not told Donna?"

Eric shook his head and said, "No, I wouldn't want to burden her with something like that." He smiled and looked to Jackie in his lap. "Besides, I forced Jackie into caring."

"You did not!" Jackie said with authority. "You helped me and I in turn helped you."

"What did he do for you?" Fez asked, getting Jackie's attention.

Jackie said, "He helped me understand that I didn't need to act shallow and self absorbed to garner the attention that I want. He made me realize that just being myself was enough and that putting on a show doesn't define who I am."

Fez dropped his mouth open. "You mean you're not shallow and self absorbed?"

Eric said, "No, she's not. It was all an act, Fez, one she had used for so long that she could barely recognize it. I simply helped her remove it."

"And what does she help you with?"

"She helps by listening, by understanding. I won't tell you the details, but I will say that without her I would be a very lost man."

"By not giving me the details I'm drawing a blank here," Fez said.

Jackie realized that Fez was trying to weasel more out of either of them, and she laughed. "I'm sorry Fez, but you won't get any details about that. All you need to know is that it's something very painful and hard to deal with. It's hard for me to handle some times, but he has to live with it every day."

"V.D?" Fez asked with a sly grin.

"No," Eric replied with a half laugh. "It's something tragic." He quickly shut up as he realized that his friend was prying and getting somewhere with it.

Fez grinned dangerously as he knew he was getting closer to the real answer. "What kind of tragic thing happened?" When both Eric and Jackie went cold, their eyes going hard, he gulped and said, "Okay, I'll drop it."

"Thank you," Jackie said with a quickly returning grin. "Now, I think I better get some sleep. I have to be up in a few hours."

Eric felt as if all his strength had been restored as she sat in his lap. Her mere presence was more invigorating than he had previously thought. "I'll tuck you in," he said.

Jackie lifted herself reluctantly off his lap and stood up. "That would be nice, wouldn't it?" she said, looking at Fez with a grin.

"You two aren't going to, you know?" Fez asked as he followed them from the couch and to the kitchen, turning the living room light off in the process."

"No," Eric replied, "We're not at that stage yet." Jackie disappeared into her bedroom and left the two of them alone.

"But I thought you loved each other."

Eric quickly went to the radiator and picked up his semi dry boxers and then walked back to the kitchen. "Yeah, but no one ever said love was simple."

"I guess," Fez said.

With his hand on the doorknob to Jackie's room, he said, "I'm sorry we lied to you earlier Fez, but you understand don't you?"

Fez laughed and nodded. "I understand quite well."

"Good." He opened the door and slipped inside, closing it behind him a second later.

"How do you think he took it?" Jackie asked as she stood at her mirror and turned on her hair dryer.

Overtop of the noise the dryer made, he said, "I think he took it as well as could be expected."

"Do you think he'll keep his mouth shut?"

"I think so, he knows the ramifications if he slips up."

Jackie nodded and watched Eric through the mirror as he dropped his towel and slipped on his boxers. She smiled a little at the sight of his toned rear end. He slipped under the blankets and turned onto his side, his eyes looking back at her through the mirror. They looked at one another like that for a few more minutes until she finished with her hair and turned off the bedroom light and he turned on the beside lamp. Making her way over to the bed, she slipped in as he held the blankets open for her. "Thank you," she said as he brought the blankets down onto them.

"You're welcome," he responded. She faced the same way he did as he reached back and turned off the light. As the room suddenly went dark, he slipped the same arm under the blankets and wrapped it over her in a small hug and kissed the back of her neck through her hair. When she moaned, the muffled sound like music to his ears, he said, "Thank you."

"Anytime," she replied lovingly, patting his right hand on her stomach while her left arm was stuffed under her pillow.

Spooning her, he allowed the pain of earlier in the night slip from memory. He closed his eyes and allowed sleep to come to him without fear. For the second night in a row he held the woman he loved in his arms while knowing that his slumber would be undisturbed.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The sound of her alarm woke them both, Jackie stirring in his arms, her body now conveniently flipped over and her nose sunk deep into the crook of his neck. Eric grunted in exhaustion, realizing that he hadn't slept for more than two hours.

"Still tired?" she asked, not bothering to open her eyes.

"Yes," he replied, opening his eyes, but was only greeted with absolute blackness. The blind on her bedroom window had been pulled down and no light could get in from the street. He reached up and turned off her alarm clock, sighing heavily as he dropped his right arm back onto the sheets a second later.

"It's not really four-thirty already?" Jackie asked lazily.

Feeling her breath on his chest and neck, he said, "I regret to inform you it is."

"Regret to inform me? Is that for my benefit or yours?"

"Both."

"You're not going to be able to go back to sleep, are you?"

Eric said, "No, and I've had less than two hours."

"Maybe you can nap throughout the day? You said the dreams sometimes stayed away when you only slept for an hour or so at time."

"Or you could just call in sick," he said with a small chuckle.

She finally moved a little and removed her left arm from under the covers, putting it on top of them and finding his hand. Gripping it gently, her eyes still closed, she said, "I would love to, but I can't."

"I know," he replied, pushing his head down and resting his chin atop her head. "Do you need to take a shower?"

"Why, do you want to join me?"

He chuckled and squeezed her hand. "I don't think so. I was just wondering if I had time to make you breakfast?"

Jackie finally opened her eyes to the blackness in her room. "I usually just have a bowl of cereal and then Donna and I eat a good breakfast between the morning and noon news." When he sighed, she said, "You can make me breakfast if you really want to."

"No, that's fine. I'll just put on a pot of coffee instead."

"Thanks," she replied, lifting her head slightly to kiss him. Her lips didn't exactly hit his as the darkness denied her a visual, but she did it anyways. "Can you put my milk in my cereal too?" she asked sweetly.

"You're not a child," he scoffed playfully.

Jackie nodded, rolled over to the edge of the bed and sat up. Eric turned the bedside lamp on as she dangled her legs over the edge, her toes barely touching the floor.

As she sat there for a few seconds, he reached over and laid his palm against her back. "Something wrong?" he asked affectionately.

She turned her head around and squinted as the light was a little too bright. "No, I'm fine. I just need my mind to wake up. I'm physically awake and the rest needs to catch up."

Eric chuckled and removed his hand from her back. A second later she exited the room, grabbing the towel that hung by the door on her way out. He rolled onto his back as he heard the water pipes screech. The shower head turned on not long after and he closed his eyes. He wanted desperately to go back to sleep, but he knew it was unlikely to happen. He wasn't sure if the nightmares would come back or not, but he wasn't bold enough to test it. His mind was fragile at the moment, and even though when he slept as a result of exhaustion, the dreams would be rather mild, but he still couldn't face it.

Rolling off the bed in one slow fluid motion, at the same time tossing the covers back, he stood up and yawned. In only his boxers, he walked lazily to the door and went through it. Jackie had left it open when she had gone to the bathroom. He gently flicked on the light for the kitchen and put a filter into the coffee machine. After putting in some grinds, he pushed the large button and the water began to warm gradually. In a matter of minutes the smell of coffee filled his nostrils and he leaned on the counter, his eyes drooping heavily as he fought off exhaustion.

Jackie opening the bathroom door woke him from his doze on the counter. He had no clue he could sleep standing upright, but exhaustion did funny things to him sometimes. "Coffee's ready!" he said quickly, still snapping to full attention.

"Oh, good," Jackie said with an awkward smile as he held her towel to her breast.

Eric felt bad about speaking so loudly, especially with Fez not too far away, and said, "Sorry."

"You fell asleep, didn't you?" she asked, closing the bathroom door slowly.

"I did."

"Well, I hope it was pleasant."

He grunted between a laugh and filled two mugs up with coffee. Putting in a scoop of sugar in hers and two in his, he went into the bedroom with both mugs in his hand. He managed to close the door with his elbow. Jackie was by her desk mirror, sitting in the chair and applying makeup. He went over and placed her mug on the desk and looked at her in the mirror. "I thought they did the makeup for you?"

She scoffed at him. "I know it's early in the morning, but I still need to look professional when I go in to work."

"I think you look great."

Jackie looked over at him as he sat on the edge of the bed and took a drink from his mug. She glared at him like he was stupid and said, "As much as I care about what you think, it's still important that I look good so early in the morning."

Eric watched as she turned her attention back to the mirror and he scratched his bare chest. He looked down and sighed at the little hair he had. Growing older he thought he might garner a full chest of hair, but it seemed more likely that he'd go bald in the chest area for his entire life.

"Something wrong?"

He looked to see her staring at him dubiously. "No, I was just wondering if I'd ever grow any chest hair."

"It's more hygienic if you don't." Jackie said as she turned her attention back to the mirror in front of her.

"If you say so." He took a cautious drink and watched intently as she finished with her morning makeup routine. She quickly hopped up off the chair she was sitting on and went to the closet, her legs smooth and shiny in the bedroom light.

"What to wear, what to wear?" she asked herself softly as she fingered through her clothes.

"How about nothing?" he asked casually, taking another drink. She simply ignored him and he could have sworn he heard a snort.

"Quit teasing me, I need something to wear."

"Doesn't the station provide you with a wardrobe?"

"Yes," she answered back a little perturbed, "but I need something to wear when Donna comes by to pick me up."

"Well, I have little to no fashion sense, so don't ask me to help."

Jackie smiled at his comment and reached into her closet, pulling out fresh pantyhose.

Eric watched as she slipped them on carefully, almost causing her towel to fall off as she balanced awkwardly on one foot. "Don't fall," he said, taking another drink from his mug.

"You're making this frustrating, I don't need a commentary."

"I'm simply giving you a few pointers."

She chuckled and said, "Just get out of here so I can get changed."

"I've seen you naked already," he argued passively.

"Out, now!" she said loudly, but with a mirthful tone, and pointed to the door.

Like a scolded child, he got up and slumped his shoulders. "I'm going," he said sarcastically, and opened the door. Just before he closed it, he said, "Don't let your coffee go cold." She pushed the door shut suddenly, almost striking his nose. He took a step back and smiled. Setting his mug on the counter by the sink, still half full, he wandered over to the radiator and felt his clothes. His pants were still damp, the crotch and the pockets quite wet. The black t-shirt was almost dry, but that could be expected with cotton. His socks were already dry, and he slipped them on. The radiator might have been on high, but the linoleum floor in the kitchen was still cold. In only his red and black checkered boxers and white socks, he went back to the kitchen and picked up the coffee mug again.

He took a sip and leaned up against the counter, waiting patiently for Jackie to finish getting dressed. It didn't take too long as she suddenly opened the door and signaled for him to come in. He did so, and was greeted to a pink sight. Jackie wore a bright pink sweater that hugged her upper body snugly, perfectly showing off the natural curve of her waist and shoulders.

"What do you think?" she asked.

He let his eyes drift from her top to the jeans below her waist and the dark brown stiletto boots that went halfway up her shins. "You look great, but I'm surprised that you don't have pink jeans."

Jackie let out a small chuckle and said, "I have enough sense to not own a pair of those. Besides, I like wearing jeans."

Eric took another drink. "I thought you liked to wear a lot of skirts and dresses?"

"I used to," she replied with a shrug, "but I guess my tastes have evolved."

"Yeah, no more car sex for you."

Fixing a pointed stare on him, his grin didn't falter and she said, "You're bad."

He shrugged. "Bad, good, it's all irrelevant."

"Irrelevant? I don't think so," she replied, grabbing her coffee off the desk and exiting the room. Eric followed her out a moment later as she pulled a bowl out of the cupboard.

"When did you dry your hair?" he asked, suddenly realizing he didn't remember the sound of the dryer.

"In the bathroom," she replied, taking the cereal out of the cupboard after placing the bowl on the counter.

"You have a hair dryer in the bathroom too?" he asked in amazement as he went around her and took the milk out of the fridge for her.

"Sure, why not?"

"Nothing, I'm just noting that it's unusual."

Jackie poured her cereal into the bowl and said, "Well, you're not a woman so you wouldn't know how many hair dryers is unusual, would you."

"I guess I wouldn't, but still."

"Still nothing, I have two hair dryers. Is that a problem?" She looked over to him as he closed the fridge door.

"No," he replied with a grin and removed the cap from the milk jug. As she grabbed it and poured milk into her cereal bowl, he finished his coffee and refilled it. It wasn't unusual for him to drink more than few cups of coffee in the morning, and on this particular morning he knew he would need it.

Walking around the kitchen counter, Jackie sat on one of the stools and pulled her cereal bowl closer to her. "Oh, spoon please?" she asked, looking up at him.

He quickly nodded and went for the first drawer on the right.

"Second on the left."

"Right," he said and opened the drawer, quickly removing a spoon and handing it to her.

"Thanks."

"Stool please."

"What?" she asked, looking up at him with her spoon full of cereal almost about to enter her mouth.

He smiled and said, "Nothing," and reached over the counter and lifted up the other stool and put it in the kitchen. Sitting on it, he blew on his mug and dropped a few spoonfuls of sugar into it before stirring it a second later.

Jackie couldn't help notice that he wasn't exactly dressed, and she stared while filling her mouth. Eric's sudden sly grin signaled that he had caught her staring. She went a little red and looked back to her bowl.

"I'm sorry, my shirt and pants are still a little wet."

"No, its fine, I was just taking a small peek."

Eric nodded and took a wary sip. "My shirt is actually dry. I can put it on if you want me to."

"You would be less of a distraction if you did," she replied, shoveling in another spoonful of cereal into her mouth and slurping the milk loudly. Eric quickly went to the radiator and put on his shirt, then sat back on the stool on the other side of the counter.

"Better?" he asked.

"A little," she replied with a grin, earning one back from his lips.

"What time does Donna usually drop by to pick you up?"

Jackie checked the stylish watch on her wrist and said, "Around five or so."

Looking to the clock above the radiator by the window, he nodded. "She should be here in about ten minutes then."

"And I suggest you hide in my room."

"Will do, and I might just start taping off the trim so I can paint later on."

Jackie stopped midway through her chewing and said, "You know, you don't have to do that today if you don't want to."

He took another drink and set his mug back on the counter. "It's not a problem, plus, it will keep me awake and my mind off what happened last night."

"You know, I'm still worried about what happened."

"And you think I'm not?" When she stared at him blankly, he said, "Yeah, I know it was frightening, but I think everything just hit me all at once along with the rain and the cold."

"Are you sure?" she asked, hesitant to believe him.

"I'm more than sure."

"Okay, but don't exert yourself too hard. Wait!"

"What?" he asked, stopping mid drink and looking up at her.

"How are you going to get home?"

Eric frowned at that, and finished his swallow. "That's not too difficult I suppose. It's cool out, but later in the morning I'll walk back home and then pick you up after you're done work."

"What about Donna, won't she be curious about why you'd be picking me up?"

"I don't think so. She knows I said I would help you paint your room. She'll believe us when we tell her that we're going to go find a color you want. Plus, it's not really a lie, that's what we'll be doing."

Jackie nodded and stuck another spoonful of cereal into her mouth. Through a half full mouth of food, she asked, "Your wallet didn't get soaked, did it?"

"No, in my haste to get out of the house last night I left it on my headboard." He paused for a moment and then said, "Lucky me I guess."

"Yes, lucky you, but if you had it on you, you could call a cab instead of having to walk home in the cold."

"Meh, the sun will be out and the walk should be pleasant."

"What if it's still raining?"

"Well, then I'll get wet again, but it won't be near as cold as last night."

Jackie shook her head in disappointment and got up off her stool. She went into her bedroom and came out a second later with her purse. Removing a few bills, she put them on the counter by his arm.

"No, I couldn't, Jackie," Eric said with all modesty.

"I insist," she said as she walked around the counter and sat back down, placing her purse a few feet from her bowl as she picked up her spoon again. When he was about to refuse again, she said, "You'll take it and call a cab, do you understand?!"

"Yes," he replied with a grin, her confident smirk causing him to laugh softly and place the bills in his shirt pocket. He knew that arguing with her would get him nowhere. "Only if it's still raining," he added at the last second. When she dropped her spoon into the bowl, the metal hitting the ceramic loudly, he relented. "Okay, okay, I'll take a cab."

"Thank you," she replied and picked her spoon up again, dropping her steely gaze from his line of sight. She dropped the spoon suddenly as a rap on the door caught her attention. "Donna's here," she said softly and ran around the counter.

Eric watched her dart into the bedroom and took another drink. "Looking for something?" he asked.

"My purse."

"It's on the counter," he replied as Donna knocked on the door again.

Jackie came out of the bedroom and said, "Just a second," loudly enough for Donna to hear. She snatched her purse from the counter and went to the door.

"Jackie."

"What?" she asked softly.

"It's raining out." When her eyes widened, he slipped into her bedroom and removed her blue coat from the hook beside her closet. He exited the bedroom just as Jackie was coming in and he held it out for her. She gently slipped into it with his help and he said, "Don't be late."

"Thanks," she replied, then turned around and kissed him. Pulling back, she said, "Get some sleep," and went to the door.

She turned a smiled at him just before she pulled the door open and exited. Eric continued to look at the door a few seconds, then sat back down on the stool and looked into his coffee mug. It suddenly felt as if the life in the apartment had just been sucked out. Without her around to keep him occupied, his mind drifted to thoughts he'd rather forget forever.

The ride to the television station had begun with its usual silence, each of them too tired to talk as they continued to wake up out of their early morning haze. It wasn't until they were halfway when Donna turned down the radio on her father's car and said.

"It's pretty chilly out there."

"It is," Jackie responded an instant later, her eyes still pointed towards the window and the road in front of them.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough." She didn't like small talk, and this was incredibly excruciating. The rain hadn't stopped, and the sky was still black, not allowing her to see the clouds that released the precipitation on them.

"Jackie, I've been meaning to tell you something."

Jackie cringed. She was expecting the worst. "Yeah?" she asked tentatively.

Donna took a deep breath and said, "I've decided to go back to school."

"Oh," Jackie let out in relief, her heart beat slowing down instantly. "When?"

"This fall."

"Really, that early?"

Donna nodded and rubbed her hands on the steering wheel slowly. "Randy and I talked it over last night and he thought it was a great idea. Eric said it was too, but I really want to know what you think about it."

"Well, I think I have to agree with them."

"You do?"

"Of course, Donna, you're smarter than almost anyone I know, and there's no doubt in my mind you'll finish whatever you start."

"What about you, are you going to be okay if I end up going to some University in California or Florida?"

Jackie frowned and looked to her best friend. "Why, should I not be okay?" When Donna looked somewhat crestfallen, she quickly said, "What I mean is that I would miss you terribly. You're my best friend, and that's not something anyone could replace, but I want you to be happy, Donna."

"You really mean it?"

"I said it, didn't I?" Jackie replied with a smile.

"I know, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around your new found attitude. This compassion of yours is still unsettling. Normally you would tell me to stay so you wouldn't be surrounded by only guys."

Jackie shrugged and said, "I know, but they're my friends too. You're my best friend and I want what's best for you."

Donna shook her head in amazement again. "I'm really going to have to get used to this new attitude of yours. It makes me uncomfortable, but I think I'll adjust."

"Well, as long as you don't forget me when you go off to school."

She smiled and looked over at her smaller friend. "I could never forget you; you've been the only girlfriend I've ever had."

Feeling slightly uncomfortable about the direction the conversation was heading, Jackie changed it abruptly. "So Randy agreed to go with you?"

Donna smiled and said, "In fact, he seems more excited about it than I am. Truthfully though, I'm nervous and a little scared."

"It's a big step forward and I wouldn't expect you to be anything less."

"Thanks."

Jackie nodded and said, "No problem." As Donna took a right turn, she adjusted her purse beside her. "Where did you apply?"

"Nowhere yet," Donna replied with a laugh, "but I'm going to see our old counselor from high school and see where I can apply. I have a few places I already want to apply to, but we'll see if I can."

"I'm sure you'll be able to get in anywhere you want. Your grades in high school and community college were impeccable."

"Eric said that too, and honestly, I'm not handling that gratitude very well."

With a toothy smile, Jackie said, "Don't worry, as long as you find something you want to do, you'll get in. By the way, what are you going to take?"

Donna smiled sheepishly, if not shyly, and said, "Bachelor of Science, or something along those lines."

"So you want to be a doctor?"

"Maybe, but it takes a long time to get through all that school and residency before I could become a licensed M.D."

"I have no doubt you'll succeed. I think you just need to show confidence in yourself. I know I'm confident in your ability to do anything you want."

"Thanks," Donna replied again. "I know that if I apply myself hard I could do it, but I'm not sure if I have that much time."

"Do you want kids?" Jackie asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Simple question, do you want kids?"

Donna scrutinized her friend for a second, but answered her. "Of course."

"When?"

"Some day I guess."

Jackie nodded and said, "You said someday, so what's wrong with putting that all on hold for eight years while you obtain a career?"

"Well, I don't know. I guess I could wait until I'm thirty to have children. It just seems a little late to me."

"And here I thought you were the ultimate feminist who believed a woman could choose to have kids whenever she wanted to?"

Donna frowned and glared at Jackie in a mirthful way and said, "I know, but I just look at Kelso and Brooke and I realize that I'm over twenty and I still don't have my feet set on any path. I'm afraid I might get so busy with my education or life that I won't have any kids."

Jackie understood Donna's predicament and tried her best to sympathize. "I can't tell you what to do, but wouldn't it be nice to have children when you are financially stable and know where you're heading in life?"

"I guess so," Donna replied warily.

"Then don't think so hard about it. Children can come by accident sometimes, like with Brooke and Michael, but just because it wasn't planned doesn't mean they love Betsy any less."

"I know that, I'm just worried my life will become too busy for me to have children."

"You just have to make time for it."

"That'll be rather hard if I decide to be a doctor."

Jackie nodded, but said, "It'll be a conscious decision about what you do. Besides, you'll have Randy there with you if anything happens."

"I guess that's a big plus."

"Of course it is," Jackie said with a grin. "You just have to remember that you're not really alone in all this. You have Randy with you, and you do love him, don't you?"

Donna smiled. "I do."

"Then don't worry about any of this. If you and Randy are meant to be, you'll have kids in due time, but not before you're ready."

"How will I know if I'm ready?"

Jackie couldn't help but notice the irony of the conversation. Usually it was Donna reassuring her, but the tables had turned and she felt closer to the redhead than ever before. "You'll just know Donna. You're not ready now, are you?"

"Oh god no!"

"Well, when your answer to that reverses with the same conviction, you'll know it's likely time."

Dropping one hand from the steering wheel, Donna sighed heavily and turned on the wipers a speed higher as the rain began to increase in force. "There are just so many unknowns."

Laughing, Jackie said, "Well, that's life for you."

Donna snorted a small chuckle and gripped the wheel with less fright. "Besides, if I ever have children, I'd want to be able to give them the best of everything."

"And you can't do that unless you've become the best you can be," Jackie added.

"Enough about me, how about you Jackie, do you see yourself as a weathergirl for the rest of your life?"

"I don't know."

"Just three weeks ago I was content to stay in my job, but since then I've completely changed my tune. I decided I wanted something better. Do you not want that?"

Jackie shrugged and said, "I don't really know what I want."

"No?" Donna asked softly, some pity working its way into her voice.

"No, but that's okay," Jackie replied, but under her breath so that Donna couldn't hear her, she added, "As long as I have Eric I'll be okay."

Donna thought she heard something else, and investigated with a simple, "What?"

"Nothing, it's nothing." But it was, and her large smile easily betrayed her verbal conviction.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Eric left the apartment and walked home before his parents woke. The rain had held off, and he was thankful since his coat was still damp and his jeans a little soggy. He had slipped in around six, then showered, changed and made himself breakfast. Neither his mother nor father had been surprised to see him up so early, so he had simply said little and went about as if nothing had happened the night before.

He had moved into the living room and was currently watching T.V, as he and his mother were the only ones in the house as his father had already gone off to work. Realizing he had forgotten to tape off Jackie's bedroom, he sighed heavily and put his feet up on the coffee table. Wiggling his toes through his socks, he leaned his arms back and over the couch. It was a comfortable position for the moment.

Kitty came down the stairs with her purse. "I'm going to get groceries, and head to the bank. Do you need anything in particular?"

He leaned his head back as his mother walked by the couch and to the kitchen door. "No, I'm good."

"Okay, sweetie, I'll see you after lunch."

"Alright," he replied as his mother disappeared through the door. Focusing his attention back onto the television, he heard a few snorts and a cough.

"Anyone here?" Hyde asked lazily as he looked into the living room. Spotting Eric, he said, "Oh, just you here Forman?"

"Yep, and oh, my dad took your vehicle to work."

"Red took my El Comino?"

"My mom went out for a groceries a few minutes ago and he needed a vehicle."

Hyde grumbled and said, "He could have taken the Cruiser."

"That's my car," Eric replied.

"But you're his son."

"And that makes a lick of difference to him?"

Laughing suddenly, Hyde said, "I guess not."

"Well, he told me to give you a ride into work."

"And the fact that he remembered to tell you is supposed to relieve my worry?"

Eric got up off the couch. "I don't pretend to know how he works; he just does things and doesn't apologize for them."

Turning around and heading back into the kitchen, Hyde heard his friend following behind and said, "I don't need a reminder, but it would nice if he asked first."

"Maybe you should keep your keys in your room then," Eric replied as leaned against the counter as Hyde removed the orange juice from the fridge.

"To quote your father, 'watch that smart mouth.'"

"Make me," Eric dared, but his friend seemed too preoccupied with removing the remaining sleep from his eyes to care. "What time do you need to open up the store?"

"Eleven," Hyde replied as he slipped two slices of bread into the toaster and found the peanut butter in the cupboard.

Eric looked to the clock above the phone and nodded. "It's almost half past ten."

"More than enough time, Forman," Hyde said as he waited patiently by the counter for his toast to pop. "Why didn't you just drop your father off at work?"

"Don't ask me that question, ask him."

"Maybe later, right now I'm hungry."

Chuckling at how his best friend let the whole matter slide, Eric crossed his arms as the toast popped. Hyde quickly lathered both pieces with peanut butter and found a seat at the table.

"What are you up to for the summer?" Hyde asked as he took a bite of his toast.

"I'm not rightly sure. I have almost three full months off and nothing to do."

"You could hang out at my store all summer and get toasted."

"Oh, so that's where you keep your stash." Eric chuckled.

Hyde grinned and said, "I keep a fair bit in there if I'm feeling the need. Plus, Leo is around all the time and he enjoys having some at the ready."

Still grinning, Eric continued to lean on the counter with his arms crossed. "Does Leo actually work for you?"

"Not really, but he's cool to have around when there aren't any customers."

"How is the record business doing? Making your dad happy?"

Finishing his first piece of toast, Hyde said, "We make a profit, so he doesn't really bother me too much."

"How much of a profit?" Eric asked with a sly grin.

"Not much, but you know me. I'm lazy, and I can just skirt by with an extra employee around. By the way, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What?" Eric asked calmly as his friend took a drink and set his glass down.

"What is it like seeing Donna with someone else?"

"What's it supposed to be like?" he replied without wavering.

Hyde scrutinized Eric for a second and said, "I'm not sure."

"Then we're both not sure."

"I'll find a way to burn you on it, don't doubt that."

Eric laughed sharply and said, "I don't think you'll find it very easy."

"Oh, you'll be surprised what I can come up with when I'm sitting around at the store doing absolutely nothing."

"Then when I pick you up later I'll expect a barrage of epic proportions."

"I wouldn't say epic, but I'll have a few zingers for you."

With another chuckle, Eric said, "If you can make me mad, I'll let you enter the Vista Cruiser in the next demolition derby at the fair just outside of town."

"Deal!" Hyde replied loudly, Eric again laughing. "I expect you to honor that deal in, oh," he looked at his watch, "seven hours."

"Sure, sure, but it's going to be less than that if you're late opening the store."

Hyde nodded and stood up. He removed his coat from the hanger by the sliding door and went outside.

Eric shook his head and followed, still chuckling lightly to himself.

Jackie waved and smiled to a production assistant as she walked towards her small dressing room situated at the far end of the hall. The lights were low, signaling that the studio was being used. The news was over, but the station was taping specialty segments for the evening news. Continuing down the small hall and close to the rear exit, she removed her heavy beige coat that had provided unneeded heat, especially with the lights above her. Draping it over her arm and reaching the back of the dark hallway, she pushed her door open. She stopped in mid stride and smiled as Eric sat on her chair in front of the mirror with his feet propped up on the makeup counter. His legs were crossed, completely extended while he had the ridge of his right index finger on his lips. His attention was fixed to the small television in the corner of the room.

"You were good," he said without looking at her.

"Thanks, I always try my best."

"You're a natural." Eric removed his feet from the desk and got up out of the chair in one fluid motion. He turned off the television and allowed Jackie to sit on her chair in front of the mirror.

"How did you get in here?" Jackie asked.

Eric watched as she tossed her coat onto the small loveseat by the right wall. "I just walked in."

"Did you come in through the rear exit?" She removed a few pins from her hair and her locks billowed from the side of her head and draped over her ears.

"It was dark and no one saw me," Eric replied as he sat on the small sofa and watched her smooth her hair out in the mirror. "The security around here is pretty lax."

"It's only a local new station."

"Yeah, but who knows how many creepy people have an unhealthy obsession with you. Never hurts to be careful."

Jackie swiveled her chair around with the help of her hand on the makeup counter. He was grinning slyly and she rolled her eyes and turned back to the mirror. "I'd take obsessions as flattery," she replied casually as she unbuttoned the vest she had on.

"Of course, that's until the stalking starts."

"Of course," she said with a smile. Kicking her heeled shoes off, she rubbed her feet and sighed.

"Need help?" he asked, pushing over to the right end of the couch so he was only a foot away from her.

"Help with what?"

"You're feet."

"Oh," she said abruptly and looked down at her feet. "I just got out of heels that were really uncomfortable; I could use a foot massage if you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all." He scooted to edge of the couch and slapped the top of his thighs.

Jackie picked up on his order and she gently put her feet on the top of his thighs. Her legs were extended, her knees showing out from under the long skirt she wore. The pantyhose were almost invisible against the smooth skin of her legs. She frowned when Eric lifted both her feet in the air. The chair she was on was quite a bit higher than the couch and her feet were still below her and didn't cause her to go off balance. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Eric inspected the feet and said, "Just checking for bunions or warts."

"I don't have bunions!"

"I know," he replied, looking back up to her with an evil grin. She was about to say something else, but he shut her up as he dug his thumbs into the bottom of her right foot and applied light pressure.

She let out a satisfied moan as he began to move his thumbs around the bottom of her feet. With the pantyhose between his fingers and the bottom of her feet, the ticklish feeling that normally accompanied with others touching her feet was absent. Again she let out a sigh of bliss and said, "Have you done this before?"

"Nope," he replied simply as he looked up from her feet. She was sunk in her chair, her back arched and her head thrown back with her eyes closed.

"Well, it certainly feels like you've done this before." Jackie moaned some more as his hand cupped her foot and he massaged it with his palm.

"I'm a quick study, or learner for that matter."

Jackie simply nodded through her wonderful delirium, the hands on her feet causing a significant amount of pleasure to vibrate through her body. "I didn't see you in the studio earlier."

Eric nodded and began working on her other foot. "I had to drop Hyde off at work."

"Why?"

"Red took his car to work this morning." Jackie didn't seem very intrigued as she simply moaned again. Her eyes were still closed as he looked up at her again, and he smiled. "Feeling better?" he asked self indulgently.

"God yes," she said through another moan, still too immersed in her bliss to open her eyes.

His grin widened as he went about her left heel, massaging it gently with the palm of his hand while rubbing the top of her foot with his other. Her continual moaning started to get to him and he slowly rubbed his hands above her ankle and onto her calf. She didn't seem to notice, so he continued rubbing it gently while she sank deeper into her chair.

She hadn't felt like this in a long time, and the fact that it was Eric doing it to her made it erotic. As his fingers slid up to her calf, she gasped slightly, but relaxed her back and allowed his hands to sooth her mind and set her heart afire. A sudden knock on the door brought her out of her ecstasy and she snapped to attention. "Yes?" she asked calmly, as if nothing had happened.

"Jackie, can I come in?" Donna asked from the other side of the door.

Eric looked at Jackie with wide eyes, but quickly pushed himself to the other end of the couch and picked up an errant magazine that was on the floor so that he would look preoccupied when Donna came in.

Jackie felt like strangling her best friend for interrupting her pleasure, but she turned to the mirror and busied herself with her hair and said, "Come in."

Donna entered and said, "Jackie I-." She stopped suddenly when she saw Eric sitting in the small sofa with an ankle draped over one knee. "Eric!"

"Yeah?" he asked casually, lifting his gaze from the magazine in his lap.

"What are you doing here?" Donna asked, definitely showing her surprise at seeing him.

He looked back to the magazine in his lap and said, "I told Jackie I would pick her up and take her to the store so she could pick out a color for her room." He turned a page stoically and continued to read as if nothing was amiss.

"You actually mean to paint her bedroom?"

Looking up at Donna, he said, "Yeah, why?"

"I didn't know if you were serious or not."

"You thought I was serious, didn't you?" Eric asked Jackie as she had spun her chair around to face them.

Jackie said, "Of course."

Donna looked between Eric and Jackie multiple times, thinking as if something might be amiss, but she dropped it and said, "I just wanted to tell you that you did a great job out there. You nailed both the morning and noon weather reports."

"Thanks."

Taking one last look at Eric, his attention back to the magazine in his lap, she said to Jackie, "I guess you don't need a ride home then?"

Eric said, "No, I'll just drop her off at home when we're done."

"Okay," Donna replied slowly as she looked back to Jackie, who was smiling for some reason. "Well, I better get going and see if Randy is ready. Hyde wanted him in a little early this afternoon."

Jackie nodded and said, "Bye."

"Bye," Donna echoed slowly, closing the door behind her as she left the small dressing room.

Eric stood up and locked the door from the inside.

"What are you doing?" Jackie asked as she crossed her legs neatly.

"Making sure someone doesn't barge in should we be doing something inappropriate."

"Why Eric, are you suggesting we do something inappropriate?" she asked with a teasing voice, leaning her elbows on the arm rests of the chair and staring up at him with a sultry smile.

"Maybe," he replied, leaning down and placing his hands on the arms of the turning chair. She swiveled back and forth for a second as he looked right at her. "Would you stop me if I tried?"

Jackie giggled lightly as his eyes didn't blink. "No."

He nodded and gently bent down further and placed his lips gently on hers. She responded instantly by pushing up from the chair a little so that there was less strain on his back.

"You know," Jackie said between kisses, "This really is the only place where we can be alone."

"I know," he replied, taking her hands and gently pulling her from the chair as he stood straight. He pulled her some more, until he hit the couch and fell into it heavily, inadvertently hauling her down on top of him.

Jackie laughed again as she fell into his lap. Repositioning herself so that she sat on his thighs with her knees on the couch, she pushed his shoulders back into the depth of the couch and kissed him again.

Eric opened his eyes as her lips left his. Jackie sat on his lap, her legs straddling him on either side while her knee length skirt was hiked up high enough he could see her underwear through the pantyhose. "Do you always have wear a dress shirt?" he asked, looking to her chest.

"Usually," she replied with a grin, slowly undoing the topmost bottom and working her way down. "The news director thinks it's best if we look distinguished and professional."

"I bet you sweat like crazy under those lights though." When she nodded, he said, "Then let your skin breath."

She shivered and closed her eyes as his bare hands slid under her shirt and to her shoulders. The light blue shirt fell from her shoulders as his hands traveled down both her arms, goosebumps instantly rising. Opening her eyes, she leaned in and kissed him as he finally pulled the sleeves past her wrist and the shirt fell to the floor.

With unwavering confidence, Eric kissed her back with just as much energy as she had been putting into it. He placed a hand on the small of her back as her hair fell forward and slapped against his cheeks. His hand still in place, he gently guided her sideways and went to lay her down on the small sofa, but stopped suddenly when there was another knock on the door.

Jackie almost cursed aloud as the knock cut short their kiss and the tingling feeling crawling up her spine. "What?" she asked hoarsely, leaning her forehead against his and closing her eyes.

"It's me again," Donna said from the other side of the door.

Eric sighed heavily and fell back into the couch. Jackie slunk her shoulders in anger and said, "What do you want?"

"I need to speak to Eric for a minute."

Still sitting on Eric's thighs, she sighed again and said to him softly, "You go out and talk to her, I'll change."

He nodded and leaned forward, kissing her suddenly. When she smiled and lifted herself off him, he stood up and exited the room once she was behind the door. "Yeah?" he asked Donna as he closed the door behind him.

"Oh, um, I was wondering if you wanted me to ask our old counselor if there were and teaching jobs available for the fall."

"I can take care of that myself," Eric said flatly.

"I thought so, but I just thought I would ask." Donna turned away and went to the exit. She opened the door with her backside and said, "Bye."

Eric lifted a hand goodbye and watched as she left the studio, the door slamming closed loudly. He stood there staring at the door for a few moments before Jackie came out of her dressing room, once again dressed in her blue coat and jeans from earlier in the morning.

"What did she want?" Jackie asked, closing the door and locking it with a key.

"She wanted to know if I wanted her to ask our old counselor if there was a job opening at the school for the fall."

"What did you say?"

"I told her I could take care of it myself."

Jackie looked up at him and frowned. There was a weird look on his face. "What's the matter?"

"She's getting suspicious."

"Really?"

He nodded and said, "She knew I would find a job by myself, but I think she might have caught wind that something wasn't quite right when she left."

"I doubt she expects anything," Jackie said, tying up the small leather belt on her coat.

"Who knows, she could have been listening to us just outside the door after I locked it."

"No, she would have said something if she had. We didn't keep our voices very low and what we said was pretty damning. There wouldn't be any denying if she overheard us."

Eric shrugged and walked with her towards the exit. "Either way, we're going to have to tread even lighter now. She smells something fishy and she's close to baiting her hook."

"That's a really bad analogy," Jackie said.

"Well, let's just hope she doesn't get suspicious enough to talk to my mom."

Jackie's eyes went wide and she tensed. "That would certainly let the cat out of the bag."

"And we'd be liable to receive more than a few scratches," Eric replied.


End file.
